UrbanUpdate

A little over two years ago, the trio behind Saturdays NYC — Colin Tunstall, Morgan Collett, and Josh Rosen — met the hairstylist Rodney Cutler through some mutual friends and the timing was oddly serendipitous: the Saturdays gents had been mulling the idea of launching their own grooming products. Cutler, who has his own line of products, was able to talk to the guys and help work with them on taking their idea to the next level.

"Ideas get thrown around every day," says Collett, of why they decided to expand beyond the world clothing and accessories. "But when one feels really right, then we'll seriously explore it. That's what happened with grooming." The fruit of those initial concepts and talks are finally seeing the light of day with the launch of their three hair products.

Collett sees this not just as a grooming launch, but the real roots of Saturdays NYC moving toward the lifestyle realm. "The idea of fragrance and candles and body care and shave cream — it's a bigger picture ideology," he says. Colin Tunstall echoes the sentiment: "Saturdays has always centered around our personal lives. As our brand grows, it’s exciting to see how we intertwine each department and how the grooming products fit in with everything else that we carry at our stores.” There's a two-pronged reason that they're launching with three products in a single category: First, they wanted really drill down on the details and make sure that each product was really perfect when it finally hit shelves and, secondly, they didn't want to overwhelm guys who may feel overwhelmed by too many options. "We wanted to create the essentials that men focus on," Collett says. "We didn't want to complicate things."

To wit, there's the Grooming Cream, which has a lighter hold and a natural look, something for guys who want an easy not too "done" look. Then there's the beeswax-based Clay Pomade, with a strong hold and a matte finish — best for guys who have thick, wavy, or curly hair. And last there's the Wet Wax which has a firm hold and a high-gloss finish, think at Gatsby or American Psycho sort of shine (great for special occasions). Each of the three have minimal, natural fragrance and are water-based, meaning they wash out easily and are $24 for 1.7oz canister. Everything down to the packaging — held in a matte black puck-like container — was thought through carefully, with borderline obsessive consideration.

The hair products are the toe-in-the-water moment for the brand, but more products are on the way, all of which are inspired by the products that the Saturdays team find indispensable — the thinking being that, as the Tunstall, Collett, and Rosen find themselves traveling more, what are the essential items that'd want stocked in their dopp kit and how can they make the best version of that, and one that felt in line with the DNA of the brand. "We want the products to have quality and meaning. We didn't want to hit the market with something just to do it," Collett says. "We wanted to feel proud of it." Later this year, more body care products will make their way to consumers, but for now, the guys are happy that their latest project is out in the public.

How Saturdays NYC Went from a Single Store to a Global BrandMax Berlinger is a freelance writer who's based in Brooklyn, NY. He has written for the New York Times, GQ, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Departures, Robb Report, Town & Country, and many other publications. He's interested in the way fashion and culture overlap. He's probably killing time on Twitter right... Read moreXInstagramRelated Stories for GQSaturdays NYCHairGrooming