Elf Cosmetics and American Eagle Outfitters button up a denim-inspired makeup collab
Look out, blue jean beauties: Elf Cosmetics and American Eagle have released a denim-inspired makeup collection – and a TikTok partnership with Outer Banks actress Carlacia Grant.
Elf’s collection with American Eagle Outfitters marks the brand’s first fashion collab / Elf Cosmetics
Looking to match your makeup look to your blue jeans? Look no further; makeup brand Elf Cosmetics and apparel brand American Eagle Outfitters are aiming to cash in on a pocket of Gen Z that loves beauty and fashion with a denim-inspired beauty collection.
The collaboration – which includes a limited-time makeup collection and a social-first marketing campaign – marks Elf’s first foray into fashion and American Eagle’s entrance into beauty.
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In the last year, Elf has penetrated several unexpected sectors, like food, through viral collaborations between Chipotle and Dunkin’. Most recently, the brand made its Big Game debut during Super Bowl LVII with an ad starring Jennifer Coolidge. Now, the brand plans to enter a beauty-adjacent category – fashion – through American Eagle, whose target demographic has historically been between ages 15 and 25.
The new makeup collection features an array of products, like a ‘Get Cheeky Clay Mask,’ meant to inspire consumers to pamper both cheeks and take a selfie (or “belfie,“ which is defined by the brand as a bum selfie).
Another standout is the ‘Denim Days Palette,’ made of blue jean-inspired eyeshadow shades. It will also include details any American Eagle devotee will recognize, down to the button and pull tag, which is reminiscent of a label inside of a pair of jeans.
“The attention to detail and the cleverness at every corner of the product is mind-blowing,” says Craig Brommers, chief marketing officer at American Eagle Outfitters. “I know Gen Z well and I think it’s the little details that come through … Collaborations with brands such as Elf allow us to cut through and express a different part of our brand, which is a great analogy for Gen Z.”
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To meet Gen Z audiences where they’re at, Elf and American Eagle are releasing a TikTok activation, complete with an original song called Take a Belfie, an AR filter and creator content from Carlacia Grant – a star of the Gen Z-approved Netflix show, Outer Banks.
“When we decided as a brand to have our next collaboration in the fashion space, it made perfect sense for us, the #1 Gen Z brand in beauty, to team up with [American Eagle], the #1 Gen Z brand in jeans,” says Kory Marchisotto, chief marketing officer of Elf Cosmetics. “What a fit.”
Although the two brands’ in-house teams developed the products, the social campaign was co-created by agencies Shadow and Movers+Shakers.
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