A STUDIO 16 BRAND
TO SHED LIGHT ON LOCAL
NATURAL BEAUTY
Rethinking Our Purpose
As part of our 20th Anniversary celebration in 2023, we decided our Rebranding would need to be not just a new logo and some more seductive hair and skin beauty copy. Our brand had to be more. Something with purpose. It is for that sense of purpose - that mission - that we are proud to introduce "Mission 16" - our small contribution to making our industry more earth-friendly and to raise awareness of the fragility of our own local environment. Read on for a story with meaning AND rooted in our local region!
Raising Awareness of Our Local Challenges
The Umtanum Ridge that is an integral feature of our high desert climate here is a harsh environment for living things, but also a special one that provides the only home in the world for two unique, endangered flowers: The Umtanum Desert Buckwheat and the White Bluffs Bladderpod, each with no more than 5,000 individuals in existence!
It is that rarity, fragility – and irreplaceability of our High Desert home that we take to heart as our own local microcosm of the challenge we face on our planet today – and make our own Mission to intentionally be part of the solution, not contribute to the problem.
Mission 16 is our commitment to a zero-plastic and zero-waste future for the Salon Industry, because we believe that we can make beauty accessible to all while preserving and protecting the beauty we’ve been gifted on this Earth.
In Collaboration with Rooted Collective
Grounded in the subtle, seasonal scents from the arid and subtley colorful high desert, Mission 16’s inaugural product line was designed to be “Rooted” in the local environment that we all grow to love, but may not always appreciate for how unique and fragile our little patch of Earth may be!
Named for the Umtanum Ridge that looms North over the Yakima Valley and is lit up nearly every day by the 300 days of sunshine, it’s the constant progression of subtle color changes from dawn to dusk along with the rare flora unique to this area that gave us the inspiration for “Umtanum Vista”.
Created from custom-designed proportions of Rosemary, Sage, Lavender and a Herb Garden Blend, Andi created Mission 16’s first signature scent in collaboration with Rooted Collective, building on the expertise of another local institution.
Photos on this page (from top): Umtanum Creek Canyon; Umtanum Desert Buckwheat (courtesy of UW Botanic Gardens); White Bluffs Bladderpod (courtesy of Center for Biological Diversity); and view of Umtanum Ridge from Rocky Top Trailhead (via Andi).
