The Company We Keep: Casey James

01. Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

I'm Casey, the co-founder and Creative Director of Copini Beauty. Before Copini, I worked as a model and content creator, but I always knew I wanted to build a brand of my own, and I knew it would be in beauty.

When I was about 18, I actually had an idea for a skincare brand. I had the whole thing mocked up, bought the domain, everything. The only thing I was missing was a chemist or product developer to actually bring it to life.

I've always loved makeup. I was even enrolled to study at a makeup academy, but I ended up falling into modelling instead. Looking back, I think that was exactly the journey I was supposed to take because it ultimately led me here.

Today, I run Copini alongside my business partner, Carla. I lead the creative direction, from product development to campaigns, content and how the brand shows up in the world. It's a combination of everything I've always loved, and I feel very lucky that I get to call it my job.

02. Walk us through a typical day. What does running Copini actually look like behind the scenes, beyond what people see?

I'm usually up around 5:30 am, and the first thing I do is check my emails. I know you're probably not supposed to do that first thing in the morning, but it genuinely gets me out of bed.

I'll head straight to the gym and usually listen to a podcast about business, fundraising or becoming a better founder. I love starting my day feeling like I've learnt something.

Then it's into the office. We're still a small team, Carla and I and three incredible team members, so everyone is very involved in everything. We'll usually start by aligning on the week, what's working, what isn't and what needs our attention.

My days are a mix of meetings, calls and a lot of creative work. I work really closely with our marketing and content team, going through everything from our Instagram feed and TikTok to EDMs, website updates, upcoming campaigns and product launches. I'm constantly thinking about how Copini is showing up in the world.

I'll usually wrap up at the office around five, head home, take my dog for a walk, have dinner and, more often than not, open my laptop again.

I think people see the fun, glamorous side of running a beauty brand, but behind the scenes there's a lot of problem-solving, decision-making and wearing about ten different hats in one day. BUT, I wouldn't have it any other way.

03. Copini has been in the world for a year now. Take us back to the beginning. Where did the idea come from, and when did it start to feel real?

Copini has only been around for a year, however, we've actually been operating for two.

We originally launched under the name Reformé Beauty. IYKYK. About a year into the business, we ran into some trademark issues in the US, which meant we had to completely rebrand.

I still remember sitting in our shared workspace with Carla when she told me we had to change our name. I genuinely thought she was joking.

Someone had beaten us to the trademark by just three weeks, which was a pretty hard pill to swallow.

But looking back, I think it was one of the best things that could have happened to us.

Copini is inspired by the French word copines, meaning girlfriends, which felt so aligned with what we wanted the brand to represent. Beauty is better shared.

I think the rebrand was the moment it all started to feel very real. It was the first time we had to make a really difficult decision as founders, and we had no idea how our customers would respond.

Seeing our community support us through that transition was something I'll never forget. It made me realise that people weren't just buying a product. They were genuinely invested in what we were building.

And now I honestly couldn't imagine the brand being called anything other than Copini.

04. Copini feels like more than a beauty brand. There's a distinct visual language and point of view behind it. Where does that come from, and how do you translate it into the world?

The inspiration from Copini comes from the world we wanted the products to live in and invite our community into. We really wanted Copini to feel joyful and delightful as beauty should be a fun part of the day. As the brand name was inspired by the french word Copine (girlfriend) it was important the products both felt friendly and approachable yet serious from a formula perspective. Thats where the tension of the more clinical feeling chrome meets the softer elements of the brand.

05. Building a brand means making a lot of decisions that people never see. What's something you've been particularly intentional about with Copini?

Product innovation.

We're incredibly intentional about every product we create, not just how it looks, but how it functions and how it fits into someone's everyday life.

I always think about the Copini girl. She's busy, she's on the go and she loves beauty. Everything needs to feel easy, intuitive and beautiful to use.

Our Power Play Contour Wand is a great example. We didn't just want to create another lip contour product, its meant for a full face contour. We wanted to make application easier, which is why we developed the built-in blender on the end.

With our Love Bite Lip Stain, we knew we were entering a category that already had so many products. So the question was, how can we make this better?

Personally, I hate getting lip stain all over my fingers when I'm blending it out. So we developed a silicone cushion blender that mimics your fingertip, allowing you to blur and diffuse the stain without staining your hands.

It's such a small detail, but those are the things we get really excited about.

06. What does good design mean to you, and how important is the way something looks and feels to the way we experience it?

I've always been very visual, so the way something looks and feels is incredibly important to me. I think design can completely change how you experience a product, even before you've used it.

carla and I are heavily involved in the design process, however, we've been really fortunate to work with some incredible designers, from graphic and web designers to the people developing our product packaging.

We are always thinking about the bigger picture. How will our products look together on a shelf? How does our website feel when someone lands on it for the first time? Does everything feel cohesive?

07. Is there anything that you are curious about at the moment, creatively or otherwise?

I'm forever curious.

Creatively, I've become really interested in home interiors recently. We're renovating our home and furnishing our office, so I've completely thrown myself into that world. I've loved working with interior designers, exploring different fabrics, colours, textures and understanding how everything works together in a space.

It's actually sparked a whole new creative interest for me.

Outside of that, I'm really focused on learning more about the business side of running a brand. I am constantly listening to business podcasts or reading books about finance.

I've become almost obsessed with understanding the numbers. Profitability, investing, fundraising and what it actually takes to build a successful, sustainable business.

I'm a big believer that knowledge is power. The more you learn, the more capable you become, and I want to keep challenging myself to become a better founder.

08. What's next for Copini? Is there anything you're working towards that you can't stop thinking about?

So many things!

We're only just getting started. Carla and I have such a clear vision of where we want to take Copini, and that's what gets us out of bed every morning.

There are so many things we're working on behind the scenes that I wish I could talk about.

We have some incredible products in development, a few of which I've already been using every day for months. It's honestly the hardest thing keeping them to myself.

But beyond the products, I'm really excited about the bigger picture. Where Copini is going, the markets we want to enter and what the brand could look like in the next few years.

I think 2027 is going to be a really big year for us.

I can't say too much just yet, BUT buckle up.

09. Outside of work, what are you currently finding inspiration in? A place, an object, a ritual or something you keep coming back to.

Surfing.

I'm actually answering these questions from Uluwatu in Bali, where I've been spending my mornings in the ocean.

I've surfed since I was about 15, and it's something I've always come back to throughout different stages of my life. Sometimes I'll go months without doing it, and then I'll get back in the water and wonder why I ever stopped.

There's something really special about being out in the ocean. No phone, no emails, no distractions. Just you, the water and a bunch of people who are all there because they love the same thing.

It's one of the only places where my mind genuinely switches off.

I find it incredibly meditative and therapeutic. There's this energy in the water. Everyone's happy, you're completely present, and you come out feeling electric.

I think with how busy life and business can get, having something that brings you back to yourself is so important. Surfing has always been that for me. It's my safe place, and I think it always will be.