Manic Panic Living in Color

INTRODUCTION

WE DON’T JUST SELL IT, WE LIVE IT

If you had told us back in 1977 that doing what we loved and sharing our unique style would influence music, art, fashion, and beauty for the next four decades, we would’ve thought you were as crazy as us!

Before Manic Panic was ever a punk rock dream, we were two young, free-spirited NYC sisters who embraced the underground scene, singing at all the local dives and creating our own fashion looks while hanging out with our ultra-fabulous downtown friends.

We grew up without money. Our single mother taught us how to make the best out of whatever we had, using every resource available. Although we never fit in, we were certainly two of the most unusual-looking poor kids in the Bronx. I (Tish) would repurpose outdated hand-me-downs because I liked to sew and design, and I was embarrassed to wear long skirts when minis were in style. Some of my “creations” came out looking quite interesting, to say the least! And Snooky would wear anything and everything people gave us. Stripes? Polka dots mixed with unmatched plaids? No problem!

We remember once seeing our mother perched on the kitchen counter, hanging up some old curtains using a string because we couldn’t afford a curtain rod. She turned to us and said, “Don’t ever be poor.” At that time, we actually thought that our neighbors who were on welfare were rich! Being poor didn’t matter; we thought it was amazing that our mother had invented a rod-less way to hang curtains! Our mother’s creativity and resourcefulness inspired us throughout our lives and especially when we opened Manic Panic, the first punk boutique in the United States!

As our single mother worked day and night to raise us, we saw firsthand how, against all odds in that day and age, she made her girls feel loved and encouraged and made them believe in themselves enough to do whatever they set out to accomplish. A gifted commercial artist and professional illustrator, her “tools of the trade” were our toys. We played with her glitter, colorful pencils, and paint. Not all of it landed on paper—we considered them our cosmetics as well! She always supported our creative and performance ambitions, both literally and figuratively, trading her artistic services for dance classes for us. She also endured countless stage shows we’d put on in the living room, always the attentive audience, no matter how exhausted she was.

The importance of self-esteem was something our mother tried to instill in us because she struggled with it all her life. It didn’t come easy to us either, but her infinite faith in us gave us the confidence to believe in ourselves, which has been a driving factor in our success. A feminist before the term existed, our mother was a role model for us and many others, proving that sisters really can do it for themselves!

Like most successful businesses, Manic Panic was conceived as a solution to a problem. The idea to start our own business came from seeing the reaction people had to our trendsetting looks whenever we were out in clubs and onstage. The hip downtown crowd loved our unique punk style and wanted a place where they could buy it. Working for someone else had never really appealed to us, but we did need “day jobs” to supplement our love of the nightlife and our singing careers. Running a boutique that catered to rock and rollers and artists meant we didn’t need to start work until somewhere around noon. There was a fashion void, and we were the right gals to fill it. We knew the underground culture because we were a part of it. NYC’s East Village was the perfect location; it was the epicenter of punk. The city was almost bankrupt; there were lots of empty stores, and rent was dirt cheap!

So, along with our friend Gina Franklyn, we opened the only punk rock store in America, which was hailed by the press as the first of its kind. Soon, word of mouth spread, fans flocked, and rockers and celebrities donned their best disguises to rummage through racks of distinctive clothing (some we made ourselves), vintage stiletto shoes, fantasy hair color, cosmetics, and one-of-a-kind accessories.

Accidental entrepreneurs, we didn’t know what lay ahead of us. Although we had always dreamed of creating the world’s first alternative beauty line, we never envisioned it would become what it is today. When we first started Manic Panic, there were hardly any independent beauty companies, and certainly not many owned by women, and definitely none that produced, created, and conceptualized like we did. We were just doing what had always served us best: following our instincts, making something out of nothing, and being badass, independent girls doing what we loved.

Ever since we opened our doors in 1977, Manic Panic has always been a safe haven for outsiders like us, from drag queens and club kids to performers and musicians and everyone who dares to be different. Through them, their feedback, and our own years onstage, we’ve learned the importance of high-quality, long-lasting, vibrant makeup and hair products, and so have our legions of fans. That’s the magic of Manic Panic. There’s a product and color for everyone, regardless of lifestyle and background!

Over the years, countless people have told us how coloring their hair with Manic Panic has made them feel visible and given them a surge of self-confidence, allowing them to show the world their inner sparkle! One story especially dear to us is from a woman named Rose, who was in her eighties when she first colored her hair purple. She said that before she colored her hair, she felt invisible and nobody noticed or really cared to talk to her. Manic Panic Purple Haze was the gateway to her renaissance. People wanted to talk to “Purple Rose,” interact with her, take pictures with her. She even wrote a poem about Manic Panic! This bold step made her so happy in the later years of her life. When she passed away, everyone attending her service paid tribute to her by wearing purple hair.

Living in Color not only tells our story but also gives you tools and hopefully inspires you to fearlessly celebrate your own unique beauty. We’ve always believed in expressing who we are, even when it was unfashionable or even dangerous to do so. With the mainstreaming of alternative beauty and a more personalized approach to self-expression these days, there has never been a better time to simply be yourself and live unapologetically and colorfully.

“Be who you are” doesn’t mean being what the beauty industry dictates is “you,” even if it’s telling you that the trend is now to have blue hair. While we always advocate expressing your inner aurora borealis, it really doesn’t matter if your hair is purple, green, pink, or even (gasp!) a natural color! Whatever’s inside your heart and soul will shine through—all the rest is ephemeral.

To us, beauty isn’t something that can be defined by one thing, one look, or one type. Beauty is found inside and out, and the most stunning people in the world are the ones who are truly themselves.