Sometimes, the most unexpected things can completely change the trajectory of your life. When actor Lily Collins and I hop on the phone to chat, we’re here to discuss a few of those things: Having a baby, a really good haircut, and a fantastic friend.
“I identify so much with hair as a gateway into a new person, and a character, or even a new phase of life,” she says. When we talk, it’s less than 48 hours since it was announced that Collins will play Audrey Hepburn in a film about the making of the pop culture-shifting Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Today, she’s starring in a campaign with longtime beauty collaborator Mara Roszak and her clean haircare line, Rōz. “Mara doesn’t just style hair, she really listens to what you're feeling and wanting from a style or a cut, but also, woman to woman, she’s just there to be a sounding board,” says Collins.
The two have been working together for almost 15 years. “Mara cut my hair into my pixie haircut when I was 25. I had been dreaming about it and decided I needed to make the change,” she shares. “I wanted to cut off all this emotional baggage at the same time. And I think, with a lot of women, we love to change our hair when we feel something different. That cut took me into a totally [different] place.” For Lily Collins, in her current phase of life—a new mother to baby girl Tove, the star of Netflix sensation Emily in Paris, and much more—she’s going for ease with an edge: “My short hair best represents who I am right now. It’s a haircut that looks really awesome but also feels curated. It’s also practical because my daughter can't grab it.”
Today, Rozsak and Collins (who was an early investor in Rōz) are speaking to women in each and every phase of life with the brand’s first ever campaign, starring real women. “Our hair journey is something that unites women,” Rozsak says, adding that whether it’s a bleach cut, hair loss, or a postpartum change, it’s something she sees every day in her salon. “Hair stylists really hold all of these stories and the emotion of our clients and their hair. By telling these stories, we’re reminding you that you aren’t alone.”
It’s the two’s bond—Collins describes them as “sisters,” while Rozsak says the actor is “one of the most thoughtful and intentional people I know”—that creates a safe space for this entire conversation to flow, from a campaign to a dialogue between a hairstylist and client. They hope it’s something other women can feel empowered to do, too.
“It’s an emotional process to change your hair,” Collins reflects. “But supporting yourself by feeling all the feelings, and taking care of the hair with the right products, is what makes it great.”
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