“I’ve always said that beauty is very much my heritage, but home and accessories is my passion,” she said. “It really made sense that this world of beauty could then translate into a clear makeup bag that’s perfect for travel, which then goes into a sandal which when you get to your destination you then can wear.”
Unquestionably beauty industry royalty, Aerin certainly doesn’t spend her days resting on those famous last name laurels. On the contrary, Aerin’s busy balancing working on her new business, her responsibilities on the board of the family company, Estee Lauder Cos., and working for several charities, as well. Plus, she’s an active mom, raising two young sons as her business expands.
Nonetheless, Aerin manages it all with grace and a sense of down-to-earth reality. “It’s very important in a busy day, when you’re juggling many different careers and responsibilities, to balance your time,” she explained. “It is hard. Certain things will slip, but you have to prioritize. What’s important to me is my children, my family, and my career. Some things that aren’t quite as important, you don’t do them all the time. Like sometimes it’s easier to get on the phone to call a friend than to go out to dinner with them. You kind of balance it in that way.”
In line with following her passion of reaching beyond the world of cosmeticsshe’s already launched a compact range of essential beauty items, like a rose scented lip conditioner and a precise collection of portable makeup brushesthere are already some elegant home items planned for holiday. Next year, a selection of impulse purchase-priced footwear will be added, along with china. The comprehensive scope nods to fashions darling, Tory Burch.
In running the new business, Aerin has taken cues from the family members shes worked with since starting at Clinique as a teenager. “I think my management style is something that I learned from my uncle and my father, after working with them for so many years and watching the way they handle meetings, seeing product and talking to different consumers,” she said. “There’s something really important about learning from the people around you. I think I’m very personable and approachable. I always have open doors in my office. I love interacting with everyone.”
That style is also parallel to that of the designers she’s friends with. “The interesting thing about a Michael Kors or an Oscar de la Renta is that they’re warm and inviting, but at the same time professional and very businesslike,” she reflects. “I think that’s something my uncle [Leonard Lauder] and my father [Ronald Lauder] do as well and I think I do that: I’m always looking at something from a creative point of view but at the same time from a business point of view. I think it’s important to have the balance of the two.”
Like many working mothers, Aerin is able to sometimes translate things her kids have done into the office. “What’s interesting about children is that they’re so honest,” she reflects. “Children say it as it is. Sometimes in business the most important thing is to just say it. If something doesn’t appear right or you don’t like the positioning or the marketing or the concept, it’s better just to be honest. If there’s an image that you don’t embrace, it’s better to say it then than later.”
“Having children for me is the most selfless thing in the world,” she added. “You might be very tired and the last thing you want to do is help write a history paper –you’d prefer to get into bed and watch junky TV–but I do it. There’s something about unconditional love.”
Speaking of love, it’s clear when speaking to Aerin how much she adores her sister Jane, who oversees Origins and Ojon. “She’s obviously one of my best friends,” she said. “We’ve always been so close. Very rarely do sisters work together, and I see her in a different way when we sit in an Estee Lauder board meeting, for example, while she’s making a comment. I’m always very impressed and inspired by her.”
While the inspiration of family and friends colors Aerin’s professional style, the ultimate appeal of her namesake line is the way it captures her specific, personal sensibility: a refined mix of stylish design, relaxed realism, and functionality. (Case in point: the chic, soft velvety pouches some of the makeup comes in, designed to repurpose as jewelry cases when traveling.) “What’s interesting about this brand is that I am living the brand,” she admitted. “There’s a real heritage and soul and person behind the brand we’re launching, so it makes a lot of sense and it’s real. I think people feel that.”
