When Jade Elliott first got her job as a sales assistant at Myer, she couldn’t believe her luck.
As she worked, surrounded by shimmering palettes and shiny lipstick tubes, the 21-year-old had a gut feeling that one day she would have a line of her own.
Fast-forward a decade and that dream has become a reality, with Jade taking ICONIC London cosmetics from her bedroom to Kim Kardashian’s cheekbones.
And now her journey has come full-circle as Jade prepares to launch the brand at the same department store where she first dreamed about it so many years ago.
Jade Elliott, 32, has turned ICONIC London cosmetics from a dream in her bedroom to a full-fledged international make-up empire
Eleven years ago Jade was a sales assistant at Myer and now she will launch her own brand at the department store
Jade left her native England and was studying at the Make Up Technicians School in Bondi Junction when she landed a job at the Myer make-up counter.
‘Working as a sales assistant at Myer was one of my favourite moments, Australia really holds a special place in my heart,’ Jade told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I remember going for the interview – I was so nervous – and I couldn’t believe I got the job.’
‘At work I noticed Australian brands like Napoleon de Perdis, and that’s when I had a gut feeling that I would start a range one day.’
That day came three years ago in Jade’s own bedroom in London.
‘I sold my car, quit my job, and started ICONIC in 2015 from my flat,’ she recalled.
Jade quit her job and sold her car as she began to build ICONIC from her London flat in 2015
Now the brand’s products are a favourite of celebrities like Chrissy Teigen (left) and Nicole Scherzinger (right)
Jade had felt there was a gap in the market for a high-end brand that was both ‘fun and rebellious’, she added.
‘I wanted to create something for my friends and myself. Something young, fresh, and a bit sassy.’
‘I always knew I wanted it to be as high-quality as possible, with amazing products at the core. That was my priority.’
Although she had a background in public relations, Jade had no experience with buying products or building a website.
So she had to teach herself all aspects of starting a business, first calling up people to get advice on finding suppliers and factories.
‘Everyone was tight-lipped and I literally became Sherlock Holmes,’ she said.
‘Once I knew more about how it all worked I was able to start thinking specifically about products and trends – what I wanted to make, and what would make ICONIC different.’
ICONIC was a hit from the start, getting featured in Vogue UK and finding a home in high-end department store Harvey Nichols within the first year of its launch
But one of the biggest moments was when Kim Kardashian’s make-up artist used an ICONIC strobing stick on the reality star’s cheekbones and posted about it on Instagram
Although there were many hard days as Jade worked as a one-woman start-up, she also had the chance to learn every facet of her brand from the inside out.
‘It now means I have a real insight into all areas of the business,’ she said.
Once the ICONIC Instagram page reached 100,000 followers, Jade decided it was time to move the business from her flat to an office
‘There’s something very humbling about starting every department from scratch, and it means I have massive respect for my team and the work they do.’
While it was extremely hard to start something on her own, Jade believes it was her drive that helped get ICONIC off the ground.
‘With no team, morale can go very quickly,’ she said.
‘Looking back, that’s what makes ICONIC and me different. I had the determination and energy not to give up and to keep fighting.’
‘I had the belief and confidence that I was on to something. It’s a mindset.’
Jade still remembers the day she launched ICONIC, when she sat on her bedroom floor and excitedly packed her first 25 orders for contour palettes.
‘I was just so amazed and excited,’ she recalled. ‘It suddenly seemed so real sitting there on my own. I can still feel the butterflies.’
ICONIC was a hit from the start, getting featured in Vogue UK and finding a home in the high-end department store Harvey Nichols within the first year of its launch.
But one of the biggest moments was when Kim Kardashian’s make-up artist used an ICONIC strobing stick on the reality star’s cheekbones and then posted about it on Instagram.
‘I woke up to my phone going off the hook,’ Jade said. ‘My orders went crazy and I remember screaming and jumping around my flat with excitement.’
‘I will never forget that moment, it was an unbelievable feeling.’
Once the ICONIC Instagram page reached 100,000 followers, Jade decided it was time to move the business from her flat to its first real office.
Jade said it was important to her from the start to create a cosmetics line that was 100 per cent cruelty free
ICONIC London will launch in 21 select Meyer stores, with the range including its contouring kits, pigment foundation sticks, illuminators, strobing sticks, and the original shimmer palette
From sorting through logistics or figuring out the next big trend, Jade said there are still plenty of challenges even though ICONIC now has countless fans.
‘Running your own business is hard, but I love it,’ she said. ‘I’ve always loved a challenge!’
And the make-up mogul is even more proud that she was able to launch a brand that is 100 per cent cruelty free.
‘I feel responsible for making the best products I can, and I think a part of making the best is to not harm any animals in the process,’ she said.
‘I can’t imagine not wanting it to be cruelty-free! It was important from the start.’
ICONIC London will launch in 21 select Meyer stores, with the range including its contouring kits, pigment foundation sticks, illuminators, strobing sticks, and the original shimmer palette.
Jade said she still has to pinch herself sometimes as she returns to the scene that first inspired her make-up fantasy.
‘From starting the brand in my bedroom to it now being stocked in Myer is just unreal,’ she said. ‘It’s beyond my wildest dreams.’