Jamiee Lupton

Jamiee Lupton

Caker Crush

• Can you write a short paragraph about yourself - you can talk about anything at all.

  I’m the co-founder of haircare brand MONDAY, which is a range of salon-quality formulas at supermarket prices, which we first launched in March 2020 in Australia and New Zealand and recently expanded to North America. Originally from Kumeu on New Zealand’s North Island, I spent several years in Sydney working in luxury communications in my early 20s, but returned to Auckland to launch MONDAY with my partner Nick. We also live with our French bulldog Frankie.

• What makes you feel powerful?

  Seeing mine and my team’s hard work validated and pay off, being able to make a difference in people’s lives through our charity efforts, and being able to be generous with my time and energy for those who need it.

• What was your birthday cake of choice as a kid?

  Oh my god. The one with the barbie doll in the middle, with a big (usually pink!) dress around her.

• If you could capture one past memory of your life in HD, to rewatch whenever you like, which would it be?

  Probably the week we first launched MONDAY. Because of the pandemic we’d had to cancel our launch event plans, and I was devastated at first. But then I pulled myself together and we went on to smash our forecast sales projections and have stock sell out in stores both in New Zealand and Australia.

• We all know you as the genius behind MONDAY haircare, tell us a little bit about the journey from the initial idea to now?

  Where do I start – I feel like I’ve lived 30 years in three! The initial stages were full of things like market research, product research and development, looking at retail and marketing strategy, negotiating with suppliers and retailers, testing and compliance - and going back and forth on all of that a lot. Then once we launched, we smashed our sales projections, so we had to rush to get more product on shelves – during the early stages of the pandemic, no less. We ended up selling six months’ worth of stock in four weeks. Even with all that success, it was (and still is) constant learning curves. We decided to try to replicate at least some of that in the US and Canada, so we launched there in early 2021 in retailers such as Target, Ulta, Amazon and Walmart, and have over a dozen new markets in the works. Amid all that I haven’t had a lot of sleep, but every moment has been worth it.

• I’m sure every day for you is a little different from the last, do you have any daily rituals to keep yourself centered?

  My days are so unpredictable that the only constants are emails and more emails! I like to start my day with some Frankie cuddles, a cup of tea and doing my morning routine. If you’re using a quality shampoo and conditioner, you don’t need a lot of other products, which is what’s great about MONDAY. It preps my hair perfectly for a blow dry, and then I do skincare, makeup, make a smoothie (I love adding the Dose and Co collagen creamer) and I’m out the door.

• Where did you grow up?

  On a farm in Kumeu, so a lot of my childhood was spent riding motorbikes and horses around with my two sisters!

• What star sign are you and which traits from it resonate with you?

  I’m a Gemini through and through! We’re meant to be outgoing and good at communicating, which essentially means I talk too much. But I think my good traits are that I have a ton of energy for people and ideas, and like to think I’m quite adaptable and can just get on with things.

• You keep some beautiful pieces of art in your house, tell us about one that is particularly special to you?

  I love Australian artist Vicki Lee – both her work and her personally. I have probably half a dozen works of hers, and my favourite hangs in the living room of our apartment. It’s one of her photographic works with her husband Ted O’Donnell, and it’s of a beautiful abstract pink rose.

• Tell us about the best day of your life so far!

  I’d have to say the day I moved to Sydney back in 2015. I’ve since moved back home of course and have no regrets, but I always think about that time so fondly. It was a huge period of growth for me both personally and professionally. I worked across some incredible projects, had some really fun experiences and made friends for life – some of whom are still my best friends and work with me on MONDAY.

• What are you listening to at the moment? (it could be an album, or a podcast)

  I’m forever listening to podcasts, I love nerdy business ones like How I Built This with Guy Raz.

• If you could raid one designer’s archives for your wardrobe, whose would it be?

  Phoebe Philo for all the old Celine, or Sarah-Jane Clarke (formerly of Sass and Bide) for her archives plus pieces from her new label.

• What does food mean in your family, are there any special dishes?

  I have lots of memories of really delicious, wholesome meals that my mum cooked for us. Still to this day she makes an amazing roast lamb with homemade mint sauce. That love for cooking certainly didn’t trickle down to me – I order in a lot! That’s what I think is so clever about The Caker kits. They really are foolproof and always turn out perfectly.

• I imagine your days off are few and far between, what do you like to do when one pops up?

  Have a massage or a facial and (try to) force myself to relax.

• What is the dessert of your dreams?

  The chocolate souffle at Onslow in Auckland is up there. I’m also loving The Caker’s Lemon Strawberry Poppy Seed Cake kit which looks amazing and tastes even better (and makes baking easy - even for me, which is huge).

• What does the colour pink mean to you?

  Pink often gets a bad rap for being frilly or overly “feminine”, but to me it feels optimistic. I’m immediately drawn to it and it makes me feel unapologetically good when wearing it.

• Once the world opens up again, where on earth do you want to visit?

  Once Covid is a thing of the past, South Africa, Maldives, Costa Rica and Mexico are all on my bucket list.

• What do you hope to change about the beauty industry?

  There is really positive change being made when it comes to inclusivity, both from the perspective of representation of different nationalities and faces, but also accessibility. I think it’s important that as many people as possible have access to quality products, which was part of the reason I wanted to make SLS- and paraben-free haircare that was also vegan and cruelty-free, and felt luxurious but wasn’t overpriced for the sake of it. Everyone is entitled to a little luxury.

• Which book would you recommend to anyone?

  Jen Atkin’s book Blowing My Way to the Top. She’s such an inspiration and I love how supportive she is of other female founders and women in business.

• What is a film you could watch over, again and again?

  The Notebook. If you couldn’t tell, I’m a hopeless romantic. If only I could get my partner to watch it with me!

• Tell us about a dream you had recently…

  That one of my best friends was pregnant. I did that thing where you wake up feeling warm and fuzzy, before realising it (sadly) wasn’t real.