Rhode is a master class in modern branding. Here, Hailey Bieber shares her rules

FastCompany: A few weeks ago, a Rhode billboard appeared on the road along the way to Coachella. Powder pink background, hot pink type, and multicolored daisies. It didn’t look like Rhode’s typical visual brand, which is defined by subtle Swiss minimalism, conveyed in cool grays, white, and boxy sans serifs. It signaled something new. “See you down the Rhode,” it said. What was at the other end?

The billboard was part of a larger product launch teed up on social the week before: “spotwear” pimple patches and banana peel eye patches in partnership with Rhode founder Hailey Bieber’s husband, Justin Bieber, who performed at the festival (shout-out, Beliebers and lonely girls). The products weren’t yet available, but they would be at the brand’s festival activation, Rhode World. If you didn’t have one of the multi-tiered wristbands that got you into Rhode’s house party, you could still feel you were part of it when the products launched the following week. No matter where you are, all roads lead to the brand. That was kind of the point.

[Photo: Rhode] That consistent, discerning attention to 360 degrees of detail is also what’s made the brand a success. Bieber, along with business partners Michael D. Ratner and Lauren Ratner, flipped a billion-dollar business in three years . Rhode launched direct-to-consumer (DTC) in 2022, and E.l.f. Cosmetics acquired it a mere three years later in 2025 (and is now in retail). Rhode’s aesthetically refined brand and packaging position its products as aspirational. And its brand marketing , which centers on an elevated, tightly configured visual identity, highly editorial campaigns, is a huge reason why.

That it often involves a revolving door of talent we’re all already talking about online ( Sarah Pidgeon from FX’s Love Story ! Harris Dickinson in his Babygirl moment !) doesn’t hurt. Call it advertorial, call it brandtainment, call it a proven formula: whether it’s Skims , Gap , J Crew , or Rhode . Only one of those companies is a beauty brand, though. [Photo: Rhode] That’s because, even though Rhode differentiated its products early by focusing on peptides and “ research-backed ingredients ,” it doesn’t really position itself as a beauty brand.

Instead, it has successfully grabbed the mantle of a lifestyle brand with endless opportunity for expansion, as every brand wants to do these days. “I’ve always approached our marketing and campaigns through a very editorial, fashion-first lens, which helped Rhode stand out early on,” Bieber tells Fast Company . “It’s never been about following a traditional beauty playbook, it’s about what feels organic to me and the aesthetic I’m naturally drawn to.” Bieber says that same instinct drives everything the brand does.

“From our campaigns to the talent we work with, it all comes from a genuine place of what I’m excited by in the moment,” she says. “More than anything, I think our success comes from the world we’ve built around the brand. I hesitate to call it a ‘lifestyle’ because it’s really an extension of my own world, something we’re inviting people into through Rhode.” [Photo: Rhode] Logging on to its universe I was first struck by Rhode’s creative direction when it launched pocket blushes in June 2024. It was a clear signal of a playbook it’d tap into again and again.

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The article discusses a modern branding strategy from a high-profile brand and celebrity, making it significant and relevant for brand strategy professionals, though the concepts of storytelling and emotional connection are not entirely new.