Latest news with #SaraSampaio
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Superman' Breakout Sara Sampaio Explains How She Captured Cinema's Most Consequential Selfies
[This story contains spoilers for (2025).] Superman breakout Sara Sampaio knew that her Eve Teschmacher character would be misjudged until she wasn't. More from The Hollywood Reporter Filming Underway on Season 2 of Netflix's 'Geek Girl,' Layton Williams Joins Cast Netflix Earnings Preview: Price Hikes, AI and Cash Flow in Focus Venice Unveils VR Interactive Lineup When the official trailer for James Gunn's Superman arrived, the Portuguese actor understood why viewers questioned her character's decision to take selfies of a nearby attack on Metropolis. We now know that she was in the LutherCorp control room that was orchestrating said attack and that she was never in any imminent danger herself, but the inappropriateness of the act still stands given the danger to those citizens caught in the crosshairs of Lex Luthor's (Nicholas Hoult) nefarious scheme. Sampaio admits that Eve's selfie-obsessed manner is heightened for comedic effect, but the behavior is very much rooted in reality. She acknowledges that we live in a time where influencers staged photo ops for themselves during 2020's various protests before going straight home. In Poland, the Auschwitz Museum routinely pleads with visitors to stop taking selfies on the grounds where 1.1 million people were killed. When the entire global population has a camera in their pocket, lines of decency are inevitably going to be crossed. Overall, Eve's selfie fixation wasn't solely geared toward the vanity of social media. She was also protecting herself if/when she became another imprisoned ex-girlfriend of Lex Luthor. As a result, she exposed Lex's plot to manufacture a foreign war in the name of destroying Superman. 'Everyone underestimated Eve [from the start]: 'What is she even doing in the movie? Why is she taking selfies? This is so stupid,'' Sampaio recalls to The Hollywood Reporter. 'And now everyone is like, 'Oh!' She saves the day at the end, and it's a brilliant way of showing how humans and characters are not just one thing.' As a highly accomplished supermodel turned actor, Sampaio has likely faced similar forms of judgment while working tirelessly the last seven years toward pursuing her original dream. 'Modeling was never really the plan. I've just always wanted to act,' Sampaio says. 'And while I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I had with modeling, I just always felt that it wouldn't fulfill me. So acting was always in the back of my mind, but I wanted to do it well, and I didn't have time to go to classes [due to modeling]. That's when I had to make that decision to take a step back and focus on acting.' While Gunn was watching self-tapes for Eve Teschmacher, it was his wife, Jennifer Holland, who saw something in Sampaio and urged her husband to give her a closer look. 'At the premiere, I told Jennifer that I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for her pointing out my self-tape to James. I'm so thankful to her,' Sampaio says. Below, during a recent spoiler conversation with THR, Sampaio also discusses the process of taking a thousand selfies across her 20 days on set, as well as some deleted moments from the Fortress of Solitude sequence. *** Between the opening weekend box office and the reception from audiences, you likely had a very exciting past weekend. Was there a cast group chat to react to it all? Yes, we have a group chat that's called the 'Superman Gang.' The whole group chat is just us bullying Beck [Bennett]. (Laughs.) He can take it. But it's been very active this weekend; everyone is just really excited. You already had a very successful modeling career, but in 2018, you moved to L.A. to give acting a shot. Did you feel like you needed a new challenge in your life? Modeling was never really the plan. I've just always wanted to act. Even when I was going to [University of Lisbon], I wanted to study acting, but my parents convinced me to get a 'normal' degree. I then started modeling, and so I didn't do either. And while I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I had with modeling, I just always felt that it wouldn't fulfill me. There was something missing. So acting was always in the back of my mind, but I wanted to do it well, and I didn't have time to go to classes [due to modeling]. That's when I had to make that decision to take a step back and focus on acting. I was like, 'Whatever happens, happens. But if I don't try now, I'll never do it.' You eventually made a self-tape for what you knew was , and James Gunn's wife, Jennifer Holland, was actually the one who pointed you out to him. At the premiere, I told Jennifer that I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for her pointing out my self-tape to James. I'm so thankful to her. How confident were you going into the screen test? I was insanely nervous. It was Superman and a role that I obviously loved. I started acting and doing auditions when everything went to self-tape and Zoom [during the pandemic]. So I haven't had a lot of opportunities to be in the room, and I didn't know what to expect. But because the character is already so all over the place, I just put that energy into the character. My mentality going into it was like, 'Do your best, present your version and have fun. It's incredible you get to even have this opportunity to do a chemistry read in front of James Gunn.' So I wasn't expecting anything, and I tried to not put too much pressure on it. I was just really grateful for the opportunity. Did you read with both Nick Hoult and Skyler Gisondo? It was just me and Skyler. Most of my scenes are with Skyler, and we had a lot of fun. But you and Nick had already been acquainted with one another through an Armani campaign years earlier? Yeah, we were both under contract with Armani at the same time, so we would always see each other out and about. So knowing that he got cast as Lex Luthor, I was like, 'Okay, at least I have someone in the cast that I know.' Nick is the nicest guy ever, and I knew that if I was feeling overwhelmed, I could ask him for advice or anything like that. But everyone in the cast ended up being so amazing, and they really just made me feel at home. There are lots of Eve Teschmachers in the world today. Did you base your performance on anyone in particular? I didn't base her on anyone in particular, but there's definitely parts of me in her. I'm sure there are parts of my friends in her as well. I was also inspired by Harley Quinn and the original Eve Teschmacher [Valerie Perrine] from the Richard Donner Superman movies. Both characters are seen as sex symbols in a way, but they also have this endearing quality that I really did not want to lose. So I really wanted to really make her grounded and believable. Between you and 's Daniela Melchior, James has had good luck with Portuguese actors. Did he ever set up a call between the two of you? Portugal's industry is not very big, so I actually knew Daniela already, and we have a lot of friends in common. I'm always so happy to see Portuguese talent succeed in anything, really, so I reached out to her and offered my congratulations when she got the role. We've kind of become friends, but I don't see her as often because she lives in Portugal. Jimmy and Lex are polar opposites. One has a full head of hair; the other is bald. One is on the shorter side; the other is very tall. One makes a modest living as a journalist; the other is a billionaire. What do you make of Eve's wide net? (Laughs.) I don't think Eve is someone who's used to hearing the word no a lot. She's used to getting what she wants. Lex is powerful, rich and handsome, and he offers this lifestyle and security that she's not super accustomed to. Above all else, security is what she craves the most, and Lex provides that for her. But knowing what he's done to all his ex-girlfriends, she has to make sure she ends up okay [by taking incriminating selfies]. But Jimmy was probably the first man to say no to her. So in her mind, she's like, 'What do you mean you don't want to be with me? Everyone wants to be with me. Now I really have to have you. I want you even more because you don't want to be with me.' It's an obsessive mentality involving conquest and cat-and-mouse games. When the first shot of Eve came out, some people wondered why she would take a selfie during an attack, but that type of behavior feels so authentic to me now. People take selfies in every situation imaginable, no matter how inappropriate. Even during the protests in 2020, influencers staged photo ops for themselves before they got back in their cars to go home. Did Eve's behavior always feel believable to you despite being a bit exaggerated? A hundred percent. She's obviously a comedic character in the movie, but James kept saying to me that she has to feel grounded. She has to feel like a real person. And what you said is true [about influencers staging photos during protests]. So Eve is also not aware of what is inappropriate. For her, it's just a great photo that would get so many likes. Her mind is more focused on what will do well on social media. She has that kind of self-obsessed thinking. But at the same time, she's not dumb, and she uses that to her own advantage. If you had to guess, how many total selfies did you take on set? I had a set phone to use as my character's phone, and I had to take selfies the whole time. So I think I took over a thousand photos, and while we shot for seven months, I was only on set for maybe 20 days. So that's a lot of selfies in that time. I keep saying that I need to get that phone back. There were some funny ones in there, for sure. Were you able to snap a few selfies on set with your own phone? Yeah, I took a few. I should have just AirDropped [the selfies from Eve's phone] to my phone, but I have a few that I took with my phone. I'll probably start posting them on my Instagram. Did James compose some of her selfies with the same detail as all the other shots in the movie? Or did you get to lead a lot of them? It was a little bit of both. There were a few selfies that had to be very specific. You had to see certain things in the background on purpose. There is one with Eve and 'Mr. Handsome.' He's the weird-looking alien that drives the [transport vehicle] in the pocket universe. We called him Mr. Handsome because he's anything but handsome. But there's this photo where Eve is on his lap, and that was just fun to do. Of course, Eve would take a selfie with him and think it's the coolest thing ever. So some of the selfies were very organic, and some needed to be very specific, so James was there to guide me. If people catch you taking selfies in public, they're inevitably going to compare you to Eve. Do you think you'll be taking a lot less of them now? (Laughs.) I really don't take many selfies in the wild, and after this movie, I don't know if I want to take a selfie anytime soon. Since they started that Instagram, 'Influencers in the Wild,' I'm scared of showing up on it; Eve would a hundred percent be on it. But if anyone wants to take a selfie with me, I'll happily do that. It's part of the character, and I'm so happy people are embracing her and her selfies. I also hope people take from this character that she's more than an influencer and some vapid person. Smart people can enjoy pink and bedazzled clothes. Humans are complex. If you look at Lex, his reasons [for being scared of Superman] are valid in a way, but the way he goes about it is completely wrong. And to somehow end up feeling a bit of empathy for the biggest villain of all, that's all James' incredible writing. Everyone underestimated Eve [from the start]: 'What is she even doing in the movie? Why is she taking selfies? This is so stupid.' And now everyone is like, 'Oh!' She saves the day at the end, and it's a brilliant way of showing how humans and characters are not just one thing. Yeah, I've seen two types of reactions to Eve. Some people are calling her the MVP/hero of the movie, while others believe that the movie is mean to her. But I keep coming back to Lois' quote to Jimmy: 'Your hot ex is a genius.' Eve played a huge role in taking down Lex and vindicating Superman. So how do you view the movie's treatment of her? I keep joking that everyone yells at Eve the whole time, and while she does do stupid things that make no sense in the moment, it was all to show the duality of people. Eve was taking selfies when she shouldn't be, but she was wisely taking care of herself at the same time. And by taking care of herself, she ended up saving the day for everyone. She used her tools and what people think of her to her own advantage. That's kind of genius. She's still an intense character who loves attention, and it was too much for someone like Jimmy. Jimmy named Eve 'Mutant Toes' in his phone. I know it was just him being a jerk, but did you ever ask James if she's potentially a metahuman? I asked James, 'What do you mean by 'Mutant Toes'?' And he was like, 'Oh, he's just being an asshole to her. He's trying to find any excuse to not like her. He doesn't like her.' And I was like, 'Okay, that makes sense because I have pretty feet.' (Laughs.) And he was like, 'He is just being a jerk.' So Jimmy is sick of Eve, and he's creating defects that don't exist just to make himself feel better about not liking her. Eve is taller than Jimmy, and at the end, she has to jump on him while wearing these huge platform heels. Was that tricky to pull off? (Laughs.) I keep joking that I did my own stunts. Everyone had stunt doubles to do all their hard stunts, but that was all me running in those big heels. But because they were platform shoes, it wasn't as bad. There's also this gag that she's supposed to run weirdly, and it's because she's always wearing very tight dresses and very high heels. So she has to do little penguin steps to move fast, and I was mostly just trying to not fall down. You previously said that there's a deleted moment in which Ultraman punches Krypto. Was that during the Fortress of Solitude scene? I didn't expect that to go so crazy [viral], but yeah, that was during the Fortress of Solitude scene. There comes a point where you don't want to do things just to shock people, and James made the best decision for the movie. Is there anything else involving Eve that didn't make the cut? Not much. While I was walking towards the Fortress of Solitude, I did one little beat where I saw this monster on the snow that Krypto killed. And I, as Eve, was like, 'Ooh!' I then took a photo with it, but that didn't make it into the movie. Little things have to be cut for time, especially if they don't really inform the story. But from reading the script to seeing the movie, I don't remember much being cut, to be honest. Decades from now, when you're reminiscing about this experience, what day from will you likely recall first? It would probably be my first day on set with James and these incredible actors. We were shooting in Svalbard for the Fortress of Solitude [exterior], and it was the most insane location. It was me and Nick's first day of filming, and Gabby [de Faria] and David [Corenswet] were there. I almost forgot my line during my first take; I was just so overwhelmed and so nervous. I was like, 'Calm down. You've got this,' before we did it again. From how nervous I was, to how beautiful the location was and how much fun we all had, I'll have that in my brain forever. I was just really happy, and that was the moment where I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. ***Superman (2025) is now playing in movie theaters nationwide. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Rachel Brosnahan flaunts her jaw-dropping figure in sizzling purple gown while Sara Sampaio goes Grecian as they lead the glamour at Superman LA premiere
The stars were out in force on Monday to celebrate the new Superman movie. At the helm of the red carpet were Rachel Brosnahan and Sara Sampaio, who both sizzled in stunning gowns at the TCL Chinese Theatre in LA. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star, 34, turned heads in a skin-tight purple gown with extensive cut outs at both the back and waist. Meanwhile the Portugese model, 33, who plays villain Lex Luther's girlfriend Eve Teschmacher in the movie, oozed elegance in a red Grecian style gown with a neck drape and fitted waist to highlight her figure. Rachel has nabbed the iconic role of Lois Lane in the critically-panned movie, starring opposite David Corenswet in the titual role. Rachel Brosnahan and Sara Sampaio (L-R) both sizzled in stunning gowns at the Superman premiere TCL Chinese Theatre in LA on Monday evening Rachel has nabbed the iconic role of Lois Lane in the critically-panned movie, starring opposite David Corenswet (pictured) in the titual role Rachel showed off every inch of her incredible figure in the form-fitting sequinned gown, which gave her tiny waist an even more miniscule look with cut-outs. The scoop neck highlighted her cleavage while the backless sillohuett4e helped flash yet more flesh in the raunchy look. At the after party, Rachel maintained the purple theme yet slipped into a tiny mini as she brushed shoulders with the stars, including director James Gunn. Sara looked pleased to be showcasing her acting chops as she sashayed into the event in her elegant crimson gown. While the colour was bold, the shape of the gown screamed Greek Goddess with an elegant draped neckline and subtly pleated details. She joined Rachel in changing outfits for the after party, rocking a sexy mini dress in black as the duo cosied up in style. The new film will go on general release from July 11. But while it marks a new chapter in a franchise that began with the iconic Christopher Reeve in Richard Donner's well received 1978 classic Superman: The Movie, a faction of early reviews suggest some critics are already longing for it to end. One such review, published by the Daily Beast some five days before strict press embargoes had been lifted, didn't hold back in its negative assessment of the film. In an extensive critique that has since been removed online, the publication condemned Gunn's latest offering as 'the Final Nail in the Grave for the Superhero Genre.' Moot points include a convoluted, humourless script, poor character development and a plot filled with 'fanciful nonsense that soon renders the entire affair superficial and silly.' 'Just as the seemingly indestructible Man of Steel is fatally weakened by kryptonite, so too is the once-unbeatable superhero genre gravely threatened by audience fatigue,' they write. 'Looking ahead rather than focusing on the here and now, this attempt at reimagining DC's movie series ultimately proves to be more of the same old interconnected-universe bedlam that, at this point, is perilously close to going out of fashion.' While British star Nicholas Hoult's portrayal of nemesis Lex Luthor wins scant praise from the outlet, leading man Corenswet's portrayal of Superman is dismissed for adhering to a woke checklist of cringeworthy cliches. 'Superman's hero is no brooding Snyder-ian Christ figure; rather, he's a sweet and sincere do-gooder who uses the word 'dude,' takes time out of fighting behemoths to save squirrels from harm, and believes that viewing everyone as beautiful is 'punk rock."' With Marvel veteran Gunn - whose previous film credits include Suicide Squad and Guardians Of The Galaxy - tasked with breaking new life into the franchise, the outlet believes some fans might enjoy his reinvention of the DC hero, but the superficial script will leave everyone else underwhelmed. 'DC Comics die-hards may delight in Superman's endless geekiness but everyone else is apt to feel adrift or, at least, along for a frenetic, flimsy ride that only feigns interest in actual emotion,' they write. Elsewhere, collective reviews for the forthcoming release are a mixed bag - but many critics appear to agree that Superman '25 is, well, a mess. Sharing his thoughts on X, reviewer Scott Menzel writes: 'James Gunn's Superman feels like he tossed every Superman comic and his entire filmography into a blender and hit purée.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Wild Scene Was Removed From The New Superman Film After Controversy During Test Screening
The new Superman film may already be at the centre of a whole lot of hype and excitement, but there was one scene in the new comic book movie that fans were far less enthusiastic about. During a recent interview with YouTuber Jake Hamilton, cast member Sara Sampaio let slip that one truly outrageous scene had to be pulled from the film after test audiences had a decidedly negative reaction to it. During the conversation, the host claimed that there's one scene in the film where Superman's villains are 'not the kindest' towards Clark Kent's dog, Krypto. 'They actually cut a worse scene,' Sara claimed, admitting that she and co-star Nicholas Hoult, who plays supervillain Lex Luthor, were 'a little bit pissed about it, but it's OK'. Sara then shared: 'They cut Ultraman punching Krypto. Because, apparently, it did really bad in the test screening.' Co-star María Gabriela de Faría then added: 'It's not OK. You can't punch a dog.' However, she maintained that 'the dog attacked me first' before the deleted punch sequence. Superman – helmed by Guardians Of The Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn – will introduce David Corenswet as the latest actor to take on the Man Of Steel. David's past work has included the cult horror movie Pearl, Ryan Murphy's Netflix shows Hollywood and The Politician, the political drama House Of Cards and the miniseries We Own This City and Lady In The Lake. He is joined in the film by Rachel Brosnahan – the Emmy-winning star of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, House Of Cards and The Amateur – as Lois Lane. Meanwhile, James Gunn also recently revealed that another divisive shot of David Corenswet flying as Superman was not used in the finished film after fans reacted negatively to it. James Gunn reveals he deleted this scene from #Supermam film following social media response: 'It was a TV commercial and it wasn't a finished visual effects shot... I didn't love the shot, so it's not even the shot that's in the movie.'Source: EW | — Screen Rant (@screenrant) June 19, 2025 Superman hits cinemas on Friday 11 July. This Original Devil Wears Prada Star Is Not Returning For The Sequel Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey Trailer Is Already Sparking Debate For This 1 Reason Mark Hamill Reveals How He Really Feels About Controversial Star Wars Film The Last Jedi
Geek Tyrant
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
SUPERMAN Cut a Brutal Krypto Scene That Upset Test Audiences — GeekTyrant
James Gunn knows how to make audiences fall in love with CGI animals, and then completely devastate them. Whether it's Groot, Rocket, Cosmo, or the heartbreaking quartet of Lylla, Floor, and Teefs, Gunn's love for adorable, heroic creatures is only matched by his willingness to put them through hell. But apparently, there is a line he won't cross, especially when it comes to a certain superpowered pup. Krypto the Superdog is finally making his big-screen, live-action debut in Superman , and he's already won over fans just from a few brief trailer appearances. Krypto's cute. He's loyal. He's got superpowers. Warner Bros. has made him a key part of the film's marketing campaign, and it's clear the studio knows audiences are going to fall hard for the dog. But during a recent interview with Jake Hamilton, Superman actress Sara Sampaio revealed that there was a Krypto moment that pushed things too far, and it didn't survive the test screenings. There was a point in the film that Ultraman punched Krypto and audiences hated the moment, so it got cut out of the film. 'They actually cut a worse scene, me and [Nicholas Hoult] were a bit pissed about it, but it's okay. They cut Ultraman punching Krypto. Apparently, it did really bad in the test screenings.' Watching Krypto getting decked by a god-tier villain is the kind of moment that could turn a fun superhero flick into instant trauma for some audiences. It's worth noting that Ultraman is no lightweight, he's expected to be a serious powerhouse in the film. A full-on punch from him could've jacked Krypto up. While that controversial moment is now on the cutting room floor, Krypto's future in the DCU is still bright. Not only will he survive Superman , but he's also set to star in a series of seasonal animated shorts after the movie hits theaters snd he'll return for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow . We'll see Krypto do his thing when Superman flies into theaters on July 11th.
Business of Fashion
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business of Fashion
How Kiko Milano Built Pricing Power
Across the income spectrum, one thing unites all shoppers: everybody likes to feel that they got value for money. While macroeconomic shifts will increase wealth in concentrated pockets, the next five years could also see wealth decline in lower- and middle-income households. Wealthy customers will have more brands vying for their spend, while lower-income customers will want to make every penny count. Perceptions of value will become deciding factors for shoppers. Kiko Milano, founded in 1997 in Italy, has long walked the tightrope between high quality cosmetics and accessible pricing. Since 2022, it has begun an elevation strategy, reducing promotions, changing its distribution strategy and introducing more premium products; as well as its $4.50 lip liners, it also offers a $28 serum-primer hybrid and a $32 eyeshadow palette. The brand can now also be found in premium department stores like El Corte Inglés in Spain and Galeries Lafayette in France. So far, the strategy is working: sales grew 14 percent in 2024 to €900 million (approximately $1 billion), while LVMH-backed investment firm L Catterton took a majority stake in the business the same year. Chief executive Simone Dominici says further premiumisation can help grow the brand's global appeal — and its margins — but that maintaining accessible pricing will enable Kiko Milano to add new customers across the wealth spectrum. Using hero franchises, social listening and strategic relationship-building with suppliers and customers is key to winning over discerning shoppers in the brand's more than 1,250 stores. Through collaborations with tastemakers like the model Sara Sampaio and the hairstylist Rossano Ferretti, the brand is working hard to establish a premium presence, whilst also fending off competition from other masstige players. The Business of Beauty: Is your core customer shopping for affordable beauty only? Simone Dominici: They mix and match. We define ourselves as an entry prestige brand now. In our stores, we see Prada bags and Louis Vuitton bags. The customer might have a lipstick from Chanel that they match with their eyeshadow from Kiko; the common denominator is the quality. Because we want to be entry prestige, it doesn't mean we need to have a lower prestige level than a true prestige brand. We need to have the same quality but more democratic price, otherwise, the equation doesn't work. ADVERTISEMENT The Business of Beauty: People sometimes say that affordable beauty is not as good quality as prestige. How do you challenge that? SD: When I started here three years ago, low price was confused for low quality, and 80 percent of our sales were done on promotion. When you discount your product too much [it loses appeal], and that is what some drugstores and some chains do; that's why I don't want to have my product in drugstores. Instead, we're entering department stores and speciality retailers, among the more important ones. We replaced promotions with services, and invested heavily in them. We offer a 10-minute makeover in store for free, and we don't force you to buy. It's just for pleasure and to inspire your confidence. It's about exploring, experimenting, touching and playing with our products. When you convince people about the quality, then they become a loyal customer. The Business of Beauty: The beauty space is being overtaken by dupe brands. How do you make a strong identity for yourself when other brands in your price bracket are doing dupes? SD: There was a season in which consumers were loving dupes, but we never had a temptation to go for it. We're an innovative brand, and one of the reasons why we are strong in innovation is because we are sitting very close to the producers that produce half of the global cosmetics used in the world. So our marketing and R&D departments engage with these companies every day, and so we differentiate our innovation with our concept, packaging, design and quality, and the experience in our stores is luxurious and very unique. The environment where you buy the products also creates part of the positioning. The Business of Beauty: What role do hero products play in your overall strategy? SD: When we shifted from being a mass brand to becoming more premium, we immediately reviewed our portfolio. To become an iconic brand, my belief was we need to have strong franchises. The brand needed an iconic product that people chase, search for and have confidence in. Then we created a few iconic franchises, one of which is the 3D Hydra lip gloss. On one hand, the goal is to recruit new customers, but also, it's to create inspiration to create different looks. Now we have more than 35 shades, so you can create different looks, combine with a lip liner, and so on. You enter through a product, and then you explore the assortment and you fall in love with the opportunities to create looks. That ends up having a higher average ticket because you have more pieces per unit. Through the iconic franchise, you expand your community footprint, then store exploration, and then you expand the portfolio. To become an iconic brand, my belief was we need to have strong franchises. The brand needed an iconic product that people chase, search for and have confidence in. The Business of Beauty: What does the rest of your premiumisation strategy look like? SD: Other than creating franchises and switching from promotions to services, it's also elevating the pricing. This is mainly thanks to product mix, so we've introduced new products with a higher value perception. We did this partly through collaborations, which we've done with Disney, Bridgerton, and then celebrities like Sara Sampaio and Emma Roberts. We had our haircare range designed with [hairstylist] Rossano Ferretti. We don't want to become a multi-brand retailer — these are all still Kiko-branded products — but this allows us to increase the average price. Another way to increase average price is by growing in categories with a higher average price, like skincare. ADVERTISEMENT The Business of Beauty: With those collaborations that retail for a little bit more, presumably that's beneficial for your margins as well. SD: Correct. That's why our gross margin has expanded and then we create room to open more stores, and room to increase our marketing investment, especially on digital and social media influencers. The Business of Beauty: In what other ways have you been able to make incremental savings and boost your margins? SD: We work very closely with our manufacturers, and we have an understanding of the formulaic products that maximise efficiency. Then when we launch a collection, we buy two million pieces. Our operational team, our supply chain, is capable of negotiating better pricing with our suppliers. It's like if you are in tech and you live in Silicon Valley, your network is helping you to be more innovative. The Business of Beauty: A lot of beauty brands use social media virality to get people excited. How do you generate that with your customers? SD: Of course, it's always good to go viral and have good user-generated content, but we couple [social media] with more traditional media like TV in countries where it's relevant to build penetration. We have 17.5 million people within our social media network. If you listen to them, you start learning a lot. Plus, we have over 7,500 beauty advisors in our stores. These people are connected with the customers every day, and most of them are real beauty lovers. They can give you a lot of insight into a community. We have an app that all of us share called Kiko Community. The Business of Beauty: There's a lot of pressure to continually deliver newness; tell me how you handle that. SD: There's social listening, and talking to suppliers, talking to customers through our loyalty program … it's an ecosystem. Our marketing team works with suppliers to download these ideas into concrete projects that can last between 12 and 18 months. It's a medium- to long-term innovation process. You start today thinking of the concept. What you think of today will probably be ready by the end of 2026 … the ingredients, the formulation, the regulation, the compatibility with the packaging, it takes time. True innovation doesn't come in a month, unfortunately. ADVERTISEMENT The Business of Beauty: But we see that customers are quite fickle, especially in cosmetics. How do you create repeat customers? SD: Even when we are selling through department stores or marketplaces like Amazon, the majority of our sales are DTC so we have a direct relationship with our customers. We have almost 7 million active loyal customers, meaning they buy with us more than once in a year. On average, they buy with us 1.9 times a year. So in the last 12 months, these 7 million have bought twice. Our communication to them is more and more newsletter you receive is not the same one that another one receives; it's based on your lifestyle and your past behaviours. The more you are personalising the approach, the more the customers feel heard and the more they come back. We also have a unified commerce platform through which our inventory, our customer database and our transaction data are shared. The Business of Beauty: In 2025, we see a cooling in beauty market growth. How are you feeling about the near term? SD: In the last three years, we doubled the percent, which is three times the market average. But still there is a lot of room for us because our market share is neglectable in some very large markets, like the US. This is where L Catterton is helping. It won't be easy, but there is room for high-quality products in this entry prestige market at a democratic price. We signed a deal with Reliance, one of the largest operators in India, at the beginning of the year, and we're expanding our presence in the market. We opened in Indonesia in January, which is home to 200 million people. We opened in Pakistan in 2024, and we're in Brazil, Chile and just opened in Mexico. We're entering Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria. In 2025, there will be 2 billion customers that we have never reached before. Our positioning is also well placed. On one side, we inspire the low middle class when they elevate their standard of living, and they want to have more refined products. At the same time, there will be some macroeconomic difficulties. When you slow down the middle class, they are starting to look at value with much more attention. The Business of Beauty: What do you think the beauty consumer of tomorrow wants? SD: I think they are more equipped than previous generations to spot inauthenticity. I think dupes will become less popular and there will be more demand for authenticity. Value will be an important element, because the economic conditions might not be so relaxed in the future. This interview has been edited and condensed. This article first appeared in The State of Fashion: Beauty Volume 2, an in-depth report on the global beauty industry, co-published by BoF and McKinsey & Company.
