AERIN Leverages Legacy While Simultaneously Forging Its Own Legend
When an ecommerce brand is well known for the history of the person or persons who started it, it can be difficult to maintain the right balance.
On one hand, it can be extremely beneficial to a fledgling company to lean on the storied legacy of the people behind it and use that pre-existing brand recognition potential to give it the best chance of early success stories. However, on the other, it’s important for a brand to forge its own identity and become recognized as its own entity in the online retail space.
This can often be the case for those entrepreneurs who come from a family which is already home to a famous brand. Those brands need to make sure they pay homage to their legacy, while simultaneously announcing their independence as an ecommerce force to be reckoned with in their own right.
AERIN
This is exactly the position luxury lifestyle brand, AERIN’s founder found themselves in when they chose to strike out on their own in the world of ecommerce.
As the granddaughter of the cosmetics superstar, Estée Lauder, Aerin Lauder knew she wanted to continue the legacy began by her grandmother all those years ago, but also wanted to make a name for herself in her own right. Big shoes to fill for sure, but Lauder wanted them to be shoes she designed herself.
"I worked at Estée Lauder for about 25 years, gaining amazing experience in many different departments," said Aerin Lauder in an interview. "I was always doing interviews on what was in my makeup bag and the items I couldn’t live without. After being asked that question so many times, I felt that there was an opportunity in the marketplace for a lifestyle brand based on feminine, modern, and effortless products with a strong heritage. Beauty is my heritage, but home is my passion and I believe the two should live together."
This desire to respect her heritage, but also to make a name for herself is perhaps why Lauder chose not to make her surname part of AERIN’s brand identity, instead opting for just a capitalized and stylized version of her first.
Now the head of a massive luxury brand, selling a broad church of products ranging from perfumes to home furnishings, the heritage of AERIN is evident in everything it does beyond the name at the top of the headed paper. Conceived from the notion that living beautifully should be an effortless endeavor, the brand is a modern celebration of artisanal craftsmanship and femininity. As of today, AERIN has had three beauty collections and is available in 45 countries.
Legacy and Heritage
The message of family comes over strongly when you take a look at Lauder’s social media platforms, packed as they are with images of special moments captured with her two sons and the rest of the family.
Lauder recently partnered with The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, California to design a one-of-a-kind villa which shows the inimitable style of the AERIN brand and celebrates her Palm Beach heritage. In a manner in keeping with such a fashionable family, the villa was made with a keen eye, paying homage to the island's old-school glamour and the elegance of its locale. The design of Aerin Villa Jasmin, as the finished project is called, is charming, feminine, and classically timeless.
"I am lucky to find inspiration wherever I go," continued Lauder. "Whether it’s through my travels, my home, nature, my friends, family, art, hotels, exhibitions, the list goes on. Always discovering new inspiration really keeps me motivated to develop products that make life more beautiful."
Final Thoughts
As you can see, maintaining a balance between legacy and forging your own identity is a delicate balance. For a brand such as AERIN, where the legacy element is so well-known and comes with a great deal of expectation, this need is felt ever more keenly.
By embracing the concept of family and heritage but ensuring it can stand on its own as an ecommerce luxury brand to be proud of, is arguably one of AURIN’s greatest successes.
"I am fortunate to have learned so much from a lifetime in beauty," said Lauder. "It’s not only my heritage but also my passion. The time came for me to take those lessons and reinterpret them, pursue my own vision, from my own perspective. Aerin has been an amazing journey. It is the perfect way for me to explore different ways to expand the modern woman’s lifestyle and provide the product she needs–from beauty and fashion to lifestyle and home."
You can hear AERIN SVP for Digital Marketing and Ecommerce, Angela Gruszka, speak at eTail Boston 2022, taking place in August at The Sheraton, Boston.
Download the agenda today for more information and insights.