The Art of Shaving

The Art of Shaving is a premium men's grooming brand and retail business founded in Manhattan, New York, in 1996 by Eric Malka and Myriam Zaoui. The business was built around the idea that traditional wet shaving could be presented as a complete grooming ritual rather than as a purely functional activity. Its retail offer combined shaving tools and accessories with skincare products designed for preparation, shaving, and post-shave care. The founders' early business developed from a first Manhattan store into a broader retail concept. After the initial location proved successful, the company opened a second shop on Madison Avenue. The stores helped establish the brand's premium positioning by presenting razors, brushes, shaving creams, aftershave products, and related accessories in a specialist environment rather than alongside mass-market personal-care products. The Art of Shaving also developed its own line of natural shaving products. This product activity complemented the company's stores and gave it a branded assortment that could support repeat purchases beyond the initial sale of hardware. The overall proposition centered on high-end men's shaving, personal care, and the use of traditional tools and techniques. As the business expanded, The Art of Shaving operated stores in the United States and in selected international markets, including Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Russia. It also entered into a partnership with Gillette, the razor company. Some The Art of Shaving franchises were owned by Gillette, linking the specialist retail concept with a major international shaving-products company while retaining the brand's premium retail identity. Procter & Gamble purchased The Art of Shaving in 2009. The acquisition brought the brand into the portfolio of one of the world's largest consumer-goods companies. Under Procter & Gamble ownership, the business remained associated with premium men's shaving and skincare, although its physical retail footprint later came under pressure from broader changes in shopping behavior. In January 2020, Procter & Gamble announced plans to close most The Art of Shaving stores. The stated business context was declining mall traffic and changing consumer shopping habits, factors that reduced the viability of a store-led specialty retail model. The brand's last physical location, in Orlando, Florida, closed on January 2, 2024. The closure marked the end of the company's documented physical-store presence, while the continuing status of the brand as a product or commercial label is not established by the supplied reference material.

The Art of Shaving began in Manhattan in 1996, when Eric Malka and Myriam Zaoui founded a specialist business devoted to premium men's shaving and skincare accessories. Its concept treated shaving as a structured grooming experience. Instead of focusing only on disposable or mass-market razor products, the business offered a curated environment for traditional wet shaving, including razors, brushes, creams, skincare products, and other accessories. The company's first store established the initial retail model. Following the success of that location, The Art of Shaving opened a second shop on Madison Avenue. The expansion strengthened the brand's association with high-end urban retail and helped it distinguish itself from general personal-care departments. Its stores provided a dedicated setting for customers interested in premium tools, shaving preparation, and post-shave care. Alongside retailing third-party or industry-related products, the company developed a range of natural shaving products under its own name. This gave The Art of Shaving a proprietary assortment and broadened the business from a specialist store into a branded product platform. Its offer remained focused on men's shaving and skin care rather than general cosmetics or apparel. The brand subsequently expanded beyond the United States. Its documented markets included Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Russia, in addition to the United States. The company also formed a partnership with Gillette. Some The Art of Shaving franchises were owned by Gillette, creating a relationship between the premium specialty concept and one of the largest established razor companies. In 2009, Procter & Gamble purchased The Art of Shaving. The acquisition placed the brand within a large consumer-goods group with an established presence in grooming and personal care. The transaction was an important ownership change, but the supplied reference material does not provide a purchase price or detailed terms. The later history of The Art of Shaving was shaped by the economics of physical specialty retail. In January 2020, Procter & Gamble announced that it planned to close most of the brand's stores. The company attributed the decision to declining mall traffic and changing consumer shopping habits. This represented a move away from the store network that had been central to The Art of Shaving's identity and customer experience. The final documented physical location closed in Orlando, Florida, on January 2, 2024. The closure ended the brand's known brick-and-mortar retail presence. The available reference material does not establish whether all products, licensing arrangements, online activities, or other commercial uses of the name continued after that date. Accordingly, the status of The Art of Shaving as an ongoing brand is recorded as unknown rather than definitively active or defunct.

• 2024

  Last physical store closes

  [1]The Art of Shavingen.wikipedia.org

  The final documented The Art of Shaving location, in Orlando, Florida, closed on January 2, 2024.

• 2020

  Store network reduction announced

  [1]The Art of Shavingen.wikipedia.org

  Procter & Gamble announced plans to close most stores in response to weaker mall traffic and changing shopping habits.

• 2009

  Acquired by Procter & Gamble

  [1]The Art of Shavingen.wikipedia.org

  Procter & Gamble purchased The Art of Shaving and added the premium grooming business to its consumer-products portfolio.

• 1996

  First Manhattan store founded

  [1]The Art of Shavingen.wikipedia.org

  Eric Malka and Myriam Zaoui founded The Art of Shaving and opened its first store in Manhattan.

• Second store opens on Madison Avenue

  [1]The Art of Shavingen.wikipedia.org

  After the first store's success, the business expanded with a second location on Madison Avenue.

Premium men's grooming centered on traditional wet shaving, specialist retail service, and coordinated shaving and skincare products.

• Shaving care

  Shaving creams and preparation products

  The brand's assortment included products used to prepare facial hair and skin for wet shaving. These products supported its emphasis on a complete shaving ritual and helped distinguish the business from a retailer focused solely on razors.

• Shaving accessories

  Razors and shaving tools

  Razors and related tools formed a central part of The Art of Shaving's specialist retail offer. The business presented these items alongside traditional accessories and skincare products as components of a premium men's grooming routine.

• Traditional wet shaving

  Shaving brushes

  Shaving brushes were among the traditional wet-shaving accessories associated with the brand. They complemented creams and other preparation products and reinforced The Art of Shaving's positioning around classic shaving methods.

• Shaving and skincare

  Natural shaving products

  The company developed its own line of natural shaving products. The available source identifies this product development but does not provide a complete product catalogue, formulation details, or launch chronology.

• Men's skincare

  Aftershave and men's skincare

  The Art of Shaving offered post-shave and broader men's skincare products as part of its integrated grooming proposition. These products extended the customer relationship beyond the shaving event itself.

• 2020

  Planned closure of most storesStrategy

  Background

  The company faced declining mall traffic and changing consumer shopping habits, which weakened the physical specialty-retail model.

  Action taken

  Procter & Gamble announced plans to close most The Art of Shaving stores.

  Aftermath

  The store network was progressively reduced, culminating in the closure of the last documented physical location in Orlando in January 2024.

  Source

• 2009

  Procter & Gamble acquisitionM&A

  Background

  The Art of Shaving had developed from a Manhattan specialty retailer into an international premium shaving and skincare business.

  Action taken

  Procter & Gamble purchased the brand and incorporated it into its consumer-goods portfolio.

  Aftermath

  The brand continued under Procter & Gamble ownership, although no purchase price or detailed post-acquisition operating structure is provided in the reference material.

  Source

1. 1The Art of Shavingen.wikipedia.org