MILAN — Chiara Ferragni can cross out the beauty from the list of the product categories missing from her namesake brand.
On Thursday, the multihyphenate entrepreneur shared with her 25.4 million Instagram followers that she is launching the first makeup collection under her banner, which will be exclusively available at the Douglas perfumery chain in Italy, Spain and Portugal, as well as at the online stores of both her brand and the retailer.
“For me, makeup is a precious ally that allows everyone to be able to express their personality without limits of age, gender, ethnicity,” said Ferragni in a statement, in which she also underscored that this launch “makes the Chiara Ferragni brand’s offering a well-rounded one.”
“Chiara Ferragni is the synthesis of many values in which we believe in and that we promote: self-confidence, tenacity, irony and constant pursuit of new goals. Over the years, this has led her to become a point of reference for different generations in the world who have admired her strength, positivity and ability,” said Fabio Pampani, chief executive officer of Douglas Southern Europe.
The executive also highlighted that the collaboration will enable the retailer to “dialogue with customers of every generation, intercepting and anticipating the most important beauty trends on the international scene.”
Ferragni already partnered with Douglas when she launched a beauty capsule collection with Lancôme back in 2019, which has many details in common with the range that it is to bow in stores now.
Featuring signature sparkling pink packaging and the ever-present blue eye logo that define all items under the Chiara Ferragni umbrella, the offering includes three shades of lipsticks, a mascara, an eyeshadow palette, a highlighting blush and a brow gel. Prices will range from 20 euros to 49 euros.
Four special pop-up corners will be installed in the upcoming two months at Douglas perfumeries in Rome and Turin, as well as in Arese — a one-hour drive from Milan — and in Bari, a city in Italy’s Apulia region where Ferragni will host a meet and greet on Nov. 17.
The entrepreneur is not new to the beauty world, as she is a longtime face of Pantene and, most recently, she became global ambassador of hairstyling and appliance brand GHD.
Ferragni first expressed her interest in the beauty industry when she staged the Beauty Bites masterclass with her personal makeup artist Manuele Mameli in 2019. At the time, the social media star teased she could be more involved in this sector, eventually releasing the first capsule collection with Lancôme a couple of months later.
As she still fronts many campaigns for the French beauty label, it will be interesting to see how she will diversify the communication of the products of the two brands on her social media.
Over the past week alone, her Instagram feed was packed with promotional content, ranging from her first video campaign for Louis Vuitton spotlighting the Archlight slingback shoes, to the advertising imagery for the “The Ferragnez,” the eight-episode series starring her whole family debuting next month in 240 countries through Amazon Prime Video.
While she continues to build her social media following, Ferragni long ago distanced herself from the sole title of influencer, piling up modeling contracts and taking on the role in 2017 of president and CEO of Tbs, the company that manages her The Blonde Salad blog and activities. Ferragni is also the CEO and creative director of Fenice, which manages her namesake line.
The Chiara Ferragni brand was launched in 2013 as a footwear label, and gradually introduced T-shirts and sweatshirts. For fall 2021, Ferragni introduced the first fall apparel collection produced by Swinger International, which also owns Genny and has long been manufacturing the Versace Jeans Couture line.
Earlier this year, Ferragni said her goal was to reach sales of 15.4 million euros in 2025 with a net profit of 4.4 million euros, and an EBIT margin of 44 percent.
To reach this target, last year the company started to ink a range of deals significantly bolstering its offering. First, it signed a multiyear licensing agreement with Aeffe Group-owned Velmar SpA for the production and distribution of underwear and beachwear. Then it inked a five-year licensing deal with Italian high-end children’s wear specialist Monnalisa to create apparel for children up to age 10.
In both cases, shares of the licensees soared after the announcement, introducing what this year has been dubbed by media “the Ferragni effect,” the positive influence she has on the performance of listed companies.
To wit, when she joined the board of Tod’s in April, investors rewarded the news as shares closed up 14 percent at 32.74 euros that day.
The last six months have been very busy for the entrepreneur, as she was tapped as global ambassador for brands such as Bulgari and Swiss watchmaker Hublot. In between the many collaborations and product drops, Ferragni gained full control of Tbs Crew Srl, the company that manages The Blonde Salad online magazine and activities, and inked a licensing agreement with Morellato Group to launch collections of jewelry and watches under her signature label. The first effort of this partnership was unveiled last month, when Ferragni showed an extensive range of necklaces, bracelets and rings defined by heart-shaped motifs.
Most recently, Ferragni also signed a license deal with Safilo Group, another company that saw its shares jump after the news. Yet the market will have to wait a little longer to buy the Chiara Ferragni sun and optical designs, as the first collection will bow in January for the spring 2022 season.
Source: WWD