"Hello, Babaii"
(NEW YORK) Kate Hudson was all smiles Wednesday night as she celebrated her partnership with David Babaii (pronounced "buh-bye") for their new hair care line, David Babaii for WildAid, at ABC Carpet & Home.
"David and I first met through my publicist Brad Cafarelli when we were both beginning our careers, and David had just graduated from Vidal Sassoon," said Hudson, who, clad in a Zac Posen dress and Giuseppe Zanotti heels, made it a point to thank LVMH for the donated refreshments. "I needed a blow-dry or something and he was available. Not much later, I was going to the Golden Globes and he knocked my hair out of the park for that night. But now I have to share him because he's become a man of many women."
The collection, three and a half years in the making, launches first at ABC Carpet & Home before its mass debut at 30,000 doors nationwide. Eco-friendly with a percentage of the revenue benefiting the global wildlife conservation organization, the line is priced from $11.95 for the Bohemian Beach Spray to $119.95 for a hair dryer and flat iron. Most of the collection can be had for under $14.95. "The beach spray is the one I carry around with me--literally," said Hudson. "In fact, David just put it in my hair tonight to fight the humidity!"
Paul Cavaco, Linda Wells, Joe Zee, Lucy Danziger and Carter Smith were among those gathered at the home furnishings store's sweltering "pit" area to toast the launch and preview three commercial segments directed and shot by Peter Lindbergh in Africa. Vanity Fair's Sunhee Grinnell popped in to greet Babaii, who styled Angelina Jolie's hair for the magazine's current issue. "I don't test on animals, I test on Kate," Babaii laughed, to which Hudson retorted, "Thank you for breaking my hair and rebuilding it!"
Hudson looks forward to a second collection in the near future--involving sharks in the Galapagos, she hinted. "We couldn't have done this on Rodeo Drive," she laughed. "Naturally, I pretended to be a staff photographer for National Geographic."
JIM SHI
