Hailey Bieber reportedly had one big fear before selling her brand. It was said that she worried she would lose creative control after Rhode was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty. According to Bieber, the concern seemingly faded after the company shared its plans. However, she also reportedly said that the price wasn’t the deciding factor.
Hailey Bieber says she feared losing creative control after selling Rhode to e.l.f
Hailey Bieber spoke onstage at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit on Wednesday, according to Fortune. She reportedly said that she had heard stories from founders who regretted their acquisitions. Therefore, she wanted to know that Rhode would be safe.
Bieber and Lauren Ratner launched Rhode in 2022. Three years later, e.l.f. agreed to buy the brand in a deal worth up to $1 billion. Bieber has reportedly stayed on to lead creative and product innovation.
The model allegedly said that her one fear was feeling like she had less say. She worried that e.l.f. would bring in new people and grow the product team around her. “It’s my baby, it’s our baby,” she said.
However, e.l.f. seemingly surprised her. Bieber recalled that they said they asked her to be more involved if she wanted. “You never hear that from an acquirer,” she said. Ratner, meanwhile, claimed they feared an acquirer might start “meddling in the business.” But e.l.f. was reportedly clear: “We’re not going to fix what’s not broken.”
More than a year after the deal, Bieber says that e.l.f. has kept its word. Asked which decisions remain hers, she said, “Pretty much all of them.” Her role has also reportedly grown, as she is now chief creative officer at Rhode and a strategic advisor to e.l.f. Beauty. She described the arrangement as “the dream scenario.”
A sale reportedly wasn’t on their immediate agenda, and the opportunity “took us a little bit by surprise,” Bieber said. She declined to say who approached whom. Timing seemingly mattered, as Rhode was preparing to launch in Sephora and its lean team had reached its limits.
