Over the past two years, Alexandra Leclerc (formerly Alexandra Saint Mleux) has consistently captured the attention of media outlets week in, week out, with her Instagram growth proving her social credibility. In June 2024, she first publicised her account and in just a short period of time she has amassed just over 5 million new fans on the platform.

Breaking into the celebrity scene as the partner of current Formula One driver and Ferrari prodigy Charles Leclerc, her effortless paddock looks have consistently turned heads. With Formula One growing over 42% in female viewership as of last year, WAGs have collected a large portion of social attention.

With 5.5 million followers to date, Alexandra has captured the internet’s hearts. Her rising popularity and unique aesthetic aligns perfectly with the ‘Rhode’ brand and understandably she was just announced as one of their very first brand ambassadors.

Her Very Own Campaign

Last week Hailey Bieber’s bespoke brand ‘Rhode’, announced Alexandra as their first official brand ambassador. Frequently seen alongside each other at publicised industry events, fans began questioning a possible collaboration between the two.

Known in the F1 paddock for her clean, ethereal beauty and classy Monaco style, she perfectly matches the ‘clean-girl’ aesthetic embodied by Rhode. In what seemed like only a matter of time announcement, the symbolic collaboration went public.

Announced as the ‘Pocket Pearl’, the new mini blush stick is Alexandra’s personalised take on her favourite product the ‘Pocket Blush’. Designed with Monaco in mind, the Pocket Pearl is a beautiful array of three shimmering shades including Gemini (a candy pink), Monaco (a warm apricot), and Monet (a rich terracotta). Combining her love for Art History and her active lifestyle, Alexandra specially created this collection alongside the team at Rhode with the intention of being a long-lasting, vibrant product.

How The ‘Soft Launch’ Panned Out

Across the past few weeks, many were led to speculate the collaboration following a series of not-so-subtle hints. Here are three teasers that stood out:

1.      The Unreleased Mini Blush

As always Alexandra was spotted with the mini pocket blush. Whilst this wasn’t inherently unusual it was the new shimmery colour that sparked the attention of beauty enthusiasts. Many noticed that her shade wasn’t a match for any existing shades, leaving makeup lovers speculating a possible unreleased product.

2.      The Secret Butterfly Charm

All across both Alexandra and Rhode social media’s, a butterfly emoji graced every bio. Fans were initially curious but confused; however, upon the release and promotional announcement, the butterfly icon has now been explained. As a part of her collection, Alexandra included a cute butterfly charm as an addition to her highly anticipated collection.

3.      The Profile Picture Switch

Eagle eyed fans noticed Alexandra had changed her profile picture to a pink moon, replacing her previous iconic, grey, moon emoji. It was a monumental change for her personal brand as she had never changed her profile picture prior to the collaboration. This got fans buzzing as the anticipation for the collaboration grew. As Rhode matched their profile avatar with the pink shade of Alexandra’s new profile picture, the collaboration was finally confirmed generating overnight hype.

With anticipation high, Rhode’s subtle marketing technique generated mass amounts of hype uniting Alexandra’s fans, the F1 fan community and Rhode’s loyal customer base. The limited-edition collaboration that released on Tuesday proved to be a beauty hit. The real success of the campaign was not just the product, but the speculation and anticipation surrounding it.