How Michelle Hu’s ÉTOILE Collective Went From a Hobby to a Viral Beauty Organizer Brand
If you're a beauty lover who's also stumbled over to the organization side of TikTok, chances are that you're already familiar with the viral beauty organization brand ÉTOILE Collective.
Created by founder and CEO Michelle Hu in 2016, ÉTOILE began as a side business, growing organically on social media as fans fell in love with their gorgeous yet practical storage solutions for all things beauty-related. In 2019, Michelle quit her corporate job to focus on ÉTOILE full-time, and then moved from Australia to New York City to expand even further into the U.S. It's since grown into a world-famous, multi-million dollar company with a major presence on both Instagram and TikTok, and they're showing zero signs of slowing down anytime soon. As fans ourselves, we just had to learn more about Michelle and how ÉTOILE came to be, and told us her story in the interview below.
Name: Michelle Hu
IG handle: @michellejqhu
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
(via ÉTOILE Collective)
1. Michelle's interest in the world of beauty—and beauty organization—really began with some iconic influencers.
"I spent a lot of my teens watching and following the OG beauty gurus on YouTube and managed to grow quite the collection of makeup and skincare. The need for functional beauty storage and accessories was really just a solution to my own problem. I had a few pieces custom made and loved the process of re-organizing my space. In a matter of days, I started an Instagram, posted a few images as vanity inspiration and noticed a lot of people asking where I got the organizers from. I've always been very fascinated by business and e-commerce so ÉTOILE was born not too long after! I never intended for it to be something I would then work on for the next almost-decade (this was November 2016). But in 2019, after the business organically grew without me doing very much, I decided to quit my full-time job and solely focus on growing ÉTOILE."
-Michelle Hu
2. The word "étoile" represents a number of the ideas Michelle wanted to incorporate into the business.
"I wish there was a better origin story to the name! I was so young when I started the business and truthfully thought it would be a side hobby I would have fun with for a few months. I asked a friend for a chic French word that embodies quality, craftsmanship and elegance and amongst a string of words, I was really drawn to ÉTOILE (which means star!)."
-Michelle Hu
(via ÉTOILE Collective)
Also read about: 4 Little Things You Can Do to Get More Organized
3. ÉTOILE's mission statement is to create accessories that work for your personal routine.
"Inspired by the effortless ritual of routine and the ever personal art of getting ready, ÉTOILE creates functional accessories for your beauty routine. We believe in non-seasonal timeless designs that are made to last."
-Michelle Hu
(via ÉTOILE Collective)
4. The best piece of advice she ever got came from her father.
"My dad always tells me to never stay too comfortable with where things are at in business. Stay curious and ready to adapt to a changing environment—trends, social, political or macro."
-Michelle Hu
5. A few important healthy habits have gotten her to where she is today.
"Just getting the basics right—making time in each day to be active and move my body, eat well, sleep well."
-Michelle Hu
Also read about: 8 Helpful Tidying Hacks for Anyone Who Hates Cleaning
6. Her biggest tip for starting to get a beauty collection organized is to invest in ÉTOILE pieces, of course.
(via ÉTOILE Collective)
7. One of the most rewarding things about her work is when ÉTOILE truly works for her customers.
"Definitely seeing customers organically post about their purchases and seeing how much they love the designs and that it's different from similar items they've used in the past."
-Michelle Hu
8. While Michelle is originally from Australia, she now lives in New York.
"I made the move in December 2021 to launch ÉTOILE in the U.S. and it's been one of the best life decisions I've made!"
-Michelle Hu
Need to get organized beyond your beauty supplies? Click HERE for some of our top tips for cultivating an organized pantry.