The DYSON Dynasty

How a British VACUUM CLEANER company has almost single-handedly TRANSFORMED the way we DRY our HAIR and become one of the BIGGEST, HOTTEST LUXURY BRANDS in beauty

- KATIE INTNER

Straight off a red-eye flight from New York to London, I stare out of my taxi window and watch as the view turns to the countryside-specifically Malmesbury, England, the home of Dyson's U.K. office. I explain to my driver that I'm in town to preview a new product: the at-the-time unreleased Supersonic Nural hair dryer. "My wife loves her Dyson hair dryer!" he exclaims. "Everyone in England has a Dyson vacuum in their home."

This devotion isn't attributable just to the proximity to the Dyson offices; we're equally obsessed with the brand stateside. You can find Dyson products at the Well New York or Barry's (the latter is equipped with the brand's hair dryers and air-purifying fans) and in luxury hotel rooms (like at the Equinox Hotel or Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills). Social media is flooded with enthusiastic Dyson reviews. Why are these elite hair tools, which have a hefty price tag of $429 and up, everywhere-and how did Dyson go from vacuum tech to the darling of the beauty industry?

First, a little background: Founder and chairman James Dyson launched his company in 1993, after becoming increasingly frustrated with the vacuum options on the market. His solution was the world's first bagless cyclonic vacuum, which could be cleaned easily, without constantly changing filters. But it wasn't until 2016-decades after producing smarter vacuums, air purifiers, and heaters-that Dyson made his first foray into hair tools.