How Hayley Williams and Brian O'Connor Are Marrying Hair Color and Music
Nine years after its inception, Good Dye Young is carving out its own path in the beauty world.
Ever since Paramore was formed in 2004, Hayley Williams has been synonymous with her eclectic bright hair colors — ranging from her signature Riot! neon orange to bubblegum pink and turquoise blue. After 10 years of experimenting with every shade in the rainbow, the singer tapped her trusted hairstylist Brian O’Connor to create their very own hair line, Good Dye Young.
Harping on the duo’s passion for colorful hair and unrestricted creative freedom, Good Dye Young is dreaming up vegan, rockstar-quality hair dyes that aim to inspire its wearers to live a life that’s as bold and unapologetic as their hair. Since the brand’s launch in 2016, GDY has served as a major creative outlet for both Williams and O’Connor — but, with the release of the now sold-out “EGO” hair dye, Williams merged the brand with her music for the first time ever.
Recently, the co-founders set out to create a marigold dye. Unlike previous releases however, the limited-edition “EGO” dye was capped at 2,000 units — with each carton being personally signed by the duo. After the dye sold out in mere hours, purchasers were also given a code that led them to 17 new original songs by Williams. While it may seem like a spur-of-the-moment release to fans, it’s one the singer says has been a long time in the making.
“The initial idea actually came from Leah, who has been on my management team for a few years but really took on a lead role when it came [to the release of 'EGO.'] I have always felt hesitant to let my music life overlap with GDY because I felt the brand should be able to stand on its own two feet. But it’s been long enough, Good Dye Young has made its mark and it felt like the right time to marry both these two worlds that both Brian and I inhabit,” Williams tells Hypebae.
In direct opposition of disconnected celebrity endorsements, Good Dye Young isn’t an offshoot of Hayley Williams’ music career — but an extension of her and her co-founder’s personal passions and their commitment to sharing them with the world.
Ahead, we speak to O’Connor about the birth of Good Dye Young and the process of conceptualizing ideas with Williams.
On Creating “EGO”
On Good Dye Young’s Beginnings
On His Interest in Hair
My introduction to hair color began at a young age. I remember by the time I was 12 years old every relative in my family knew I wanted to do hair — it’s all I talked about. One of my best friends’ mother was a hairstylist, and I would [jump at] any chance I got to work or help out in her salon. Most of the time I was just lingering and asking her a million questions, and then I’d go home and experiment with coloring my own hair. I think I’m drawn to it because it comes so easy to me. It’s so rewarding to change someone’s [entire] perspective of themselves by simply giving them a great color, cut and style.
On Who Good Dye Young Is For
On What Colorful Hair Symbolizes
