TikTok-favourite beauty brand, E.l.f. is partnering with teen retailer American Eagle to create a line of clothing-inspired cosmetics.
This team-up marks E.l.f. ‘s second collaboration with a fashion brand after partnering with designer Christian Siriano in 2018. The beauty label has also partnered with restaurant chains Chipotle and Dunkin’ to create food-influenced beauty collections. According to Kory Marchisotto, E.l.f. ‘s chief marketing officer and president, the success of those two collaborations with Gen-Z — the brand’s target audience — led E.l.f. to look to American Eagle as its next partner.
“Our audiences want to see more of our unique ability to translate other adjacent categories into the beauty space,” she said. “We’re number one with Gen-Z in beauty. They’re number one with Gen-Z in jeans.”
The collection consists of an eyeshadow palette, a lip balm, a clay mask and a makeup bag, filled with nods to American Eagle’s apparel offerings. The palette includes 12 blue shades that are named for different jean styles, such as “Mom Jeans” and “Bell Bottoms.” The pH lip balm, meant to change colour as it activates with the consumer’s own personal pH, is a dark denim-blue. The clay mask is designed to be used on the face and butt while the makeup bag is made to look like a pair of the brand’s jeans.
“It’s a curated wardrobe, a beautiful blend of all colours and unique shadow for everyday looks,” said Marchisotto. “Gen-Z likes to have a good time, and they like to experiment. So we wanted to bring forward both innovation and dynamism into both of our worlds.”
As is standard for the brand, E.l.f. created a cheeky, social media-friendly campaign for the collaboration, centred around the slogan “Take a BE.l.f.ie,” — a butt selfie. Advertising assets will ask users to post a picture of their E.l.f. X American Eagle makeup look alongside a ‘bE.l.f.ie’ in AE jeans. The brand is also rolling out a “Take a BE.l.f.ie” song and filter on TikTok and Instagram.
The two brands are working with Carlacia Grant, an actress known for her role in the Netflix show, “Outer Banks,” and content creators like Jazmyn Smith, Alyssa Salazar and Denise Mercedes, to promote the collaboration on social media across platforms.
“What specialty retail is, is a sea of sameness right now, and any chance that we have to do something that cuts through, we’re happy to take that risk,” said American Eagle’s chief marketing officer Craig Brommers.
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