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LONDON — Since Hailey Bieber launched her beauty brand, Rhode, in the United Kingdom in May of last year, the line has been embraced in a way where the founder is investing more time and effort in London.
This summer, Rhode’s photo booths in London attracted hour-long queues – now, the brand is going bigger with a four-day pop-up on Motcomb Street that stocks all of the brand’s stocking units: viral lip phone cases, Peptide Glazing Fluid, Lip Peptide Treatment and more.
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The all-grey pop-up, which matches the brand’s packaging, blends into the cloudy British skies, but shines plenty of color through lip cases in raspberry gel or pink ribbon, as well as first access to UK shoppers to try Barrier Im, officially. launching October 28.
“Our community in London is very strong. We really wanted to bring an experience there and it felt like the next natural progression. London embraced Rhode in a big way [when we launched in the U.K.] and I wanted to go back to that,” Bieber said in his first interview since giving birth in August.
The brand told WWD exclusively that since its launch in 2022 it is on track to exceed $100 million in revenue this year as a result of its online direct-to-consumer business, which operates in eight countries under present.
Bieber is scaling the brand through marketing and so far, the plan has paid off.
A limited edition peptide treatment inspired by Krispy Kreme’s famous strawberry glazed donut; its lip cases are equipped with Peptide Lip Treatment, and supermodel Claudia Schiffer as the face of Barrier Butter has landed Rhode at the top of the social media charts.
“I really wanted to use someone who crossed many different generations and demographics. When I think of Claudia, the iconicity is immediate, as well as her reach and impact on so many different age groups. She’s someone I’m a big, big fan of. I’m inspired by her as a role model and her images have been on some of our Rhode moodboards since we started,” said Bieber.
According to influencer marketing platform CreatorIQ, Rhode’s earned media value, or EMV, ranked the brand as the top skincare brand in the US in the year through June. The brand’s EMV is up 304 percent year-on-year.
On TikTok, Rhode’s following grew 136.1 percent year-on-year for the period ending June 2024, and the brand has more than 1 million followers there. On Instagram, the brand has 2.2 million followers, and the account grew 74.1 percent in the same time period, according to Rhode.
But the offline world is still crucial to connecting the brand with customers. This year, Rhode focused on translating his digital output IRL, resulting in immersive experiences like a pop-up in New York City and a Rhode-branded photo booth that traveled from Los Angeles to Toronto, London and Ibiza.
“When you’re an online brand that’s really focused on building the [direct-to-consumer] hand, you see people through the comments and numbers on a screen, but you don’t feel the impact of the community you’re building,” said Lauren Ratner, the brand’s president, chief brand officer and Bieber’s right-hand woman.
As Rhode enters its next phase of expansion, Bieber is focused on community — expanding Rhode’s existing head, and inviting new people into the brand, like Schiffer.
“As Hailey ages and approaches her 30s – and being a mom, her beauty and skincare essentials continue to evolve, and it’s really important for the brand to continue following those life stages,” said Ratner.
“An important factor for Hailey from the beginning was that she always wanted Rhode to be bigger than herself. Her ultimate dream is for someone to pick up the product and love it without knowing it’s related to her,” she said.
Bieber and Ratner have implemented a 360-degree plan with buzzy campaigns and influencer packages, as well as staying consistent with social media, product packaging and offers.
“We’re very focused on creative storytelling across our channels, creating bite-sized, easy-to-digest and highly visual content to engage our community. We shy away from being too transactional and we hope that when our community looks at our social media channels, it feels like they’re on their friend’s Instagram, or Hailey’s,” said Ratner.
Bieber’s expert touch worked with Rhode, and the brand is diving deeper into rejuvenating hero products, including the Peptide Lip Treatment, with new colors and flavors. It is a plus that the price offer of the brand is accessible – in the United Kingdom Rhode ranges from 18 British pounds to 38.
“Limited editions are something that our community really comes together with and I think will continue to be a through line of the brand,” Ratner said.
Bieber is already thinking about what she wants to do next year, and said that she wants to expand the skin care range by spending more on the color category and integrating them into one. Rhode launched Pocket Blush in June.
“I’d love to continue playing in the tech merch world — like the lip phone cases,” she said.
The road to Rhode is one of many things the 27-year-old has learned.
One of the biggest lessons she has learned since launching the brand is that “mistakes are going to happen” and “there will be bumps in the road, which are out of your control, but you have to pivot, run and work with them as they come,” she said.
Since birth, Bieber has given herself a soft break. “I’m just doing what feels comfortable for me physically, mentally and emotionally,” she said, but her eyes are still on Rhode, whom she calls her “baby.”
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