Kat Von D Beauty is dead. May our memories of anti-Semitism and anti-vaccination beliefs rest in peace. In its place, the company is in the process of rebranding to KVD Vegan Beauty under its new management at Kendo Brands (which also owns Fenty Beauty and Marc Jacobs) and has taken to Instagram to clear up some confusion about the brand's new name — somehow confusing us more in the process. We have more questions than answers.
"KVD" does not stand for Kat Von D, apparently.
Kendo would like you to know that the "KVD" in KVD Beauty "does NOT stand for a person's initials." In other words, it does not stand for Kat Von D, the brand's original creator, who has just been called "a person." Ouch!
Instead, KVD Vegan Beauty stands for ...
Drumroll, please! KVD Beauty stands for, according to Kendo, the brand's "ethos": Kindness, Vegan Beauty, and Discovery. Essentially, it is now called Kindness Vegan Beauty Discovery Vegan Beauty. The redundancy is confusing, but it is what it is!
Kendo addressed other questions about the rebranding.
Kendo also spoke about the brand's packaging — which, as you can see, still has Kat Von D's name plastered over everything. It explained that, due to environmental concerns, the company will go through existing product stocks before, presumably, phasing in the appropriate new packaging.
This also begs the question: The brand's newest launches, the Everlasting Blush and XO Vinyl Lip Cream Lip Gloss, were announced at the end of December 29, and Von D announced her exit three weeks later. By that time, the blush and lip gloss had already hit Sephora shelves with Von D's name — suggesting that the dissolution happened too quickly for any last-minute alterations to product packaging.
The brand also clarified some questions about discontinued products.
With regards to the packaging question, KVD Vegan Beauty also said that it would not be discontinuing any products throughout the brand revamp, other than products that were previously announced — including the Alchemist Holographic Palette.
Pay attention to the wording, though: NNNo products will be discontinued "because of the new brand." This indicates that further KVD Beauty products could be on the chopping block for reasons other than the new brand.
Kendo also committed to keeping the brands' formulas intact.
Luckily, Kendo reaffirmed that KVD Vegan Beauty (or Kindness Vegan Beauty Discovery Vegan Beauty) will keep the same product formulas. This means that fans of the brand's cult favorites, the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and Tattoo Eyeliner, can count on the products staying the same.
