80 Years of Beauty Inspiring the Future
A Letter from the President of framesi North America, Dennis Katawczik
We’re all familiar with the traditional anniversary gift themes, right? Paper for the 1st anniversary, cotton for 2nd, silver for 25th. Gold is the traditional gift representing the 50th anniversary, and so on.
The traditional anniversary gift for the 80th anniversary is Oak. After learning this I went as fast as I could to Google to see if there were any actual married couples that celebrated their Oak Anniversary. I was pleasantly surprised to find several recent news stories about couples who married in their late teens and early 20s in 1943, 1944, 1945 – during the climax of World War II.
There’s a reason it makes the news. Estimates suggest that only one in six million people live long enough to celebrate their 80th wedding anniversary. For companies, just from my own experience, I imagine it has to be even tougher. The actual math estimates the number to be around 1-2%, meaning that for every 100 companies founded, only 1-2 are likely to still be in business after 80 years.
So why, once you pass the rare and precious (and expensive!) gemstone and metal anniversaries, do you finally reach… Oak?
Because oak symbolizes strength, endurance, and solid support. Much like the mighty oak, framesi has thrived by evolving with and guiding every shift in the industry—embracing new technologies, pioneering modern techniques, and staying ahead of trends while remaining true to our roots. Every branch of our business—from our dedicated employees to our loyal professional stylists and their clients to our valued partners—has contributed to the success and legacy we honor today.
But, to me, oak also represents growth. Emerald, Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum—though strong, don’t continue to grow after they are formed. But an oak tree, with proper nourishment, support, and safeguarding, well, some live for thousands of years. They’re brilliant adapters too. There’s north of 500 species of oak on earth. Now that’s diversity!
Have you been doing the same thing since you started down your career path? Probably not. Maybe when you first stepped behind the chair you did countless crimped side-ponies. Perhaps, fresh out of school, you perfected “The Rachel.” As Y2K hit, DECOLOR B lighteners were giving you textbook, chunky, face-framing highlights. What did we do before we could share our creations on MySpace, then Facebook, Instagram, and now TikTok?
Framesi has continually led the way in professional hair fashion, evolving to put our mark on every shift in trends and technology. Just take a look at the extensive timeline on the following pages. Somewhere along the line, during our early days, framesi founder Roberto Franchina decided to launch the first professional hair color made in Italy. From reinforcing the European Numbering System in the 1970s—revolutionizing how American professionals formulate color—to merging high fashion and hair artistry in the 1980s with the introduction of the Italian Style Collection, our commitment to innovation has never wavered. As new, extreme styles emerged, Italian Style Energy was introduced for a customer more open to ultramodern trends and Italian Style International tore down the walls between world cultures and hair fashion. All three annual collections continue to push the boundaries of hair fashion.
If an oak tree wants to persevere it must grow with a purpose. To catch the sun it must literally go where no tree has gone before. If an area is too crowded, new growth is strangled and stifled. Similarly, framesi continues to offer superior modern education and introduce technology with which no other professional haircolor company has been able to compete. We’ve blazed trails with breakthrough formulas like FRAMCOLOR 2001 INTENSE, cutting processing time in half while maximizing vibrancy and coverage. We redefined lightening with DECOLOR B INFINITY+, delivering unmatched lift and control without compromising hair integrity. And we transformed liquid haircolor with FRAMCOLOR Eclectic 5D Color Gloss, offering cream-like conditioning in a quick and easy liquid form.
More recently, we reimagined and reformulated the MORPHOSIS Scalp & Hair Treatment line with a clean and conscious approach, addressing today’s demand for high-performance products with reduced environmental impact. And with the launch this year of the FOR-ME styling line, we’ve created versatile, customizable solutions that empower stylists to perfect both timeless and trending looks.
Framesi isn’t just keeping up with change—we’re driving it.
As framesi has adapted and evolved, our roots remain deeply embedded in the values that have defined us from the very beginning. We began as and remain a family-owned company. Through the decades, the hallmark of framesi has been the certainty of tradition matched with bold, forward-thinking innovation in terms of fashion, product research and development, and education. With every advancement, we reaffirm our commitment to providing the professional community with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration to create with confidence.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to the dialogue between heritage and innovation, celebrating timeless beauty. Innovation, integrity, and a passion for what we do will continue to guide us forward. As we celebrate this incredible milestone, we do so with gratitude for the support of our family of professional stylists and everyone who has been part of this journey.
Thank you for being part of our story. Here’s to 80 years of strength—and to the future we’ll build together. We look forward to nurturing new growth, deepening our impact, and standing strong for generations to come—just as an oak tree does, unwavering and ever-reaching toward the future.
I can’t wait to see where we go next.
-dennis
