Celebrity beauty brands were becoming passé—until Rhode inked the deal of all deals. Last year, Hailey Bieber’s instantly iconic line, helmed by co-founder Lauren Ratner, was acquired by E.l.f. for $1 billion. The Michael Kors and Reformation alum has expanded the company in the midst of a market squeeze, one star-studded campaign at a time.
Where do you feel most at home?
London, where I grew up. Every time I’m there, I feel this beautiful sense of relief and coming back to myself. I try and go once a year at least.
Name an influence of yours that might surprise people.
Tennis. It’s such a hard mental sport. Watching the greats like Serena and Nadal and now Alcaraz achieve such heights always inspires me to be better, do more, and really go for it.
What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?
Building a business from the ground up. It’s really hard work. You don’t just get to work on the fun stuff that you love and that you are good at. You need to be able to do things you have never done before, live in that discomfort, and keep coming back for more every day.
When you were little, what were you known for?
Scrapbooking. I loved to scrapbook—cutting out pictures from magazines and scribbling on the pages. This actually makes a lot of sense when I think about what I do now for work: curating images and editing copy to create a world to live in.
What question do you ask yourself most often while you’re making work?
Will this cut through?
What keeps you up at night?
My baby.
What are you looking forward to this year?
Watching my son grow up! I just had my first baby at the end of 2025. It’s the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I can’t wait to keep picking him up out of his crib every morning and seeing what is new each day.
What would you wear to meet your greatest enemy?
To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.
in your life?
