Stardustcolors SAS was founded in 2009 in the south of France by William Perez, entrepreneur and artist, specializing in vehicle decoration.
Stardustcolors became the first manufacturer of special effect paints on the European continent.
This very specialized field represented a micro market, until then monopolized by two American companies, ALSACORP and HOUSE OF KOLORS. There were a few resellers of these American-made products in European countries, but no real manufacturer on European soil and the products were very difficult to obtain, especially because of the problems of sending the paints by air from the United States.
Stardustcolors has changed the situation, becoming the first company in Europe to be able to compete with its American competitors in the field of special effect paints, including car paints.
So what is this niche market and what exactly is a special paint?
These are quite extraordinary paints, which were invented in the 1980s. They are remarkable for the fact that they can or seem to react. These are car paints in particular that can change color, either by the angle of observation, or by the light, or by the heat…
The visual effects that these paints provide are exceptional and represent a real revolution in the world of classic paints.
The company developed very quickly and steadily to become a dominant player throughout Europe. To this day, Stardustcolors continues to grow and create new innovations in the world of colors and pigments.
Light : a story of passion for colors and pigments
Driven by a passion for colors and effects, Stardustcolors invented its business. Going far beyond its American competitors, the French company continues without slowing down in its path, a business that it invents and creates every day.
The invention of various special colors has created a new need among private and professional customers. A whole new world has opened up for artists, body painters, design professionals…
It is a sort of rebirth and renewal of classical paints and colors that used pigments well known for hundreds of years. Thanks to the pigments and transparent tints, but also to the great properties offered by modern chemistry, Stardust has been able to renew paint.
Many of the paints created by Stardustcolors produce color through light, by transparency, by reflection, and even by phosphorescence!
The spirit of the company’s founder and his passion for color is shared by all who discover these fabulous colors. For example, there is a real need for creativity and personalization among private customers, whether to decorate a motorcycle, a bike, a sculpture… A large part of the budget of individuals is reserved for the realization of different times, hobbies and passions.
The discovery of complex techniques of spray painting or even aerosol are far from discouraging these budding artists. On the contrary, thanks to interesting and detailed tutorials, these special and technical car paints make everyone want to succeed in their own exceptional and unique project and become a creative artist during a Sunday, at home in their garage!
To make discover, to accompany in the technical realization and to make succeed each project, for example of a car painting, it is the role and the first goal of the team of Stardust, well before the simple mercantile thought of a traditional company. It is the real passion of a trade.
What made the company successful
The numerous special paints that have been developed by Stardust are represented today in a catalog that includes almost 3000 references.
All these specialties offer new perspectives to a wide range of customers.
Today, about 50 % of our customers are private individuals or professionals.
mong these customers are small craftsmen, but also large companies, including international luxury brands, car manufacturers or industrialists. Whether in the world of decoration, automotive or security, all these special finishes offer new possibilities and new solutions.
Because Stardust does not only manufacture special effect colors! It is actually dedicated to applied research for all special products. These can be special primers: they are primers that can produce an adhesion on a wide variety of supports, such as, for example, glass, plastics, leather, chrome, metals, carbon…
And Stardust also produces special finishes : we are talking about a range of clearcoats that can provide special visual functions or technical properties. This can be for example food clearcoats or anti-flame clearcoats. They are also iridescent clearcoats or anti-UV clearcoats, anti-scratch clearcoats, anti-heat clearcoats capable of blocking the sun’s infrared rays…
There is no limit, until today, to the imagination and creativity of the Stardust team. It is thanks to a very close relationship with its customers, a real listening of their needs, a great flexibility, that Stardust obtains these new ideas, simply by looking for solutions for all these concrete requests.
The history of the founder and the reasons for the creation of the company
Originally, the founder of the company was an artist practicing the technique of airbrushing, mainly on vehicles. The technicality of these supports and its products is very particular and does not correspond at all to the traditional artistic paintings, of the world of the painting of wall decoration, or the oil painting, the watercolor…
The modes of application by spraying and the numerous technologies of inks and paints allow in truth, to cover, decorate, or personalize any type of support. This is what was quickly understood by the creator of the company, who immediately saw the immense potential of his pigments and special colors.
After years of working in the application of paints all over the world, the founder will return to Europe, determined to spread these new innovative paints. He is convinced that it will be a success and soon it will be possible to paint any kind of object, from coffee machines to glasses, bicycles or even facades.
The choice of the activity was also motivated by the wish to avoid all the things that are already seen, already done, already known and on which the competition has all the chances to stifle a successful project.
Stardust’s challenge was won, right from the start, with a very positive feedback from all types of customers, who as soon as the website was opened, showed their enthusiasm and ordered these revolutionary paints, regardless of their cost.
The challenges facing the company
The company has, from the beginning, focused on offering a maximum number of products, while complying with the heavy regulatory standards in the chemical world. This is a fairly controlled world, particularly in terms of ecological standards, with a growing desire on the part of governments in recent years to regulate emissions of volatile organic compounds.
It is a hard work that has been provided not to restrict the creative impulse and the constant creation of new paints and colors.
It is thanks to this work, which has allowed the company to structure itself and its offers, that the company has imposed itself against other less organized competitors in Europe.
Today, Stardust relies on a network operating in 9 European countries, with distribution but also manufacturing for different brands. The company has thus been able to solidify itself both at the regulatory level and to diversify its activity.
The challenges that the company has set itself for the coming years are mainly the transition from solvent-based formulas to non-polluting acrylic formulas, but also the development of the brand in several customer areas, such as, for example, the world of cycling, the world of model making and the automotive world.
The opportunities facing the company/market
Compared to the highly developed competition in the field of classic paints, art families or industry, there is still a lot to be done in the market of special paints.
This is the direction Stardust wants to take, now crossing the ocean border. Well established now in Europe, Stardust wants to compete with the historical companies in their own territory, as well as in the United States, Australia, but also in emerging markets such as Brazil, India, the Middle East.
The offer of paints, primers and special effect varnishes is now well structured, with labels and catalogs. And the various brands of the Stardust group enjoy after 12 years of activity an excellent reputation, not only in Europe but beyond.
There is always a certain shyness or aversion on the part of dealers to enter a field that is not mastered. It is true that special effect paints are more expensive and technically complex products.
It is therefore a question of reaching motivated and capable distributors in the various territories and accompanying them, in order to propagate all these new innovative paints and make them accessible to companies and individuals throughout the world.
Advice to others about business
When you are passionate about your work, you never really work. Passion is the wind that blows the company’s sail. It’s about developing everything you believe in and love to the fullest. It’s not just about identifying a need and meeting it. It is still possible to invent and create new needs. When you are a leader in your field, you don’t look at what the competition is doing. You focus on the success of those different projects. Similarly, many entrepreneurs believe that it is not possible to succeed simply because of the desire for growth and financial gain. The purpose of a business is not to make a profit, but to prosper and bring help, service, improvement in the lives of others.
This is exactly the spirit of StardustColors, whose sole purpose is the creation of the most beautiful colors and the success of all its customers’ projects.
GP
The work of a family doctor includes a wide range of clinical diversity, which requires extensive knowledge and erudition from a specialist. However, I believe that the most important thing for a family doctor is to be human because the cooperation and understanding between the doctor and the patient are crucial in ensuring successful health care. On my days off, I love being in nature. Since childhood, I have been passionate about playing chess and tennis. Whenever I have time off, I enjoy traveling around the world.
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