This story was originally part of the 2023 Glossy 50 feature. Click here to see all of this year’s honorees.
Former J.Crew executive creative director Jenna Lyons made headlines this year by becoming a cast member of the 14th season of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” In 2020, Lyons said she didn’t ever want to do reality TV, but it was her 3-year-old eyelash business, LoveSeen, that made her reconsider.
“I don’t think I [otherwise] would have subjected myself to that level of scrutiny, uncertainty and potential reputation mangling,” Lyons said. “The TV show has offered a [point of] discovery for people who didn’t know the brand or didn’t know who I was or didn’t think lashes were for them.”
The show’s premiere episode had 1.7 million total viewers across platforms, resulting in an abundance of LoveSeen orders. “We saw growth of about 400% — but we also ran out of inventory, so we couldn’t even match all the sales interest,” said Lyons.
Lyons brought a new aesthetic to the show by sporting a wearable mix of brands including Levi’s. The move earned Levi’s $147,000 in media impact value, according to data company Launchmetrics.
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Lyons’ style first made her influential while she was working as an executive at J.Crew for seven years, until 2017. And to this day, she said, shoppers are looking for the type of recommendations that J.Crew has long provided through channels including its retired print “Style Guide.”
“The curation piece is something that everyone is always looking for,” said Lyons. “People want somebody to tell them what to buy. … Now, I have direct access to customers, which I didn’t really have at J.Crew, and they’re asking me where I got my shirt, my lipstick and my eyeshadow.” With LoveSeen prioritizing community, Lyons joins customer calls on a weekly basis to help people try on lashes.
In addition, LoveSeen has launched a “Jenna’s Into It” edit on the site, which includes homeware and cosmetics that the founder uses. Lyons has recently started linking to these shoppable products on Instagram, where she now has over 700,000 followers.
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“This whole ecosystem was pretty new to me — I am not an influencer, and I never have been,” said Lyons. “And I’ve never been one to post and link what I’m wearing. But I knew that other people were doing it, saying, ‘Jenna Lyons wore this jacket and this look in this photoshoot,’ or, ‘She wore this on set.’ And somebody on my team asked if I wanted to get a revenue share for that.” She declined to share specifics regarding her affiliate earnings thus far.
With “RHONY,” Lyons stirred up new interest in her wardrobe choices, prompting a wave of change in the way reality TV stars dress on and off camera. For example, for an appearance during this year’s Bravocon, Lyons’ “RHONY” co-star Brynn Whitfield wore a button-up blouse and a denim skirt rather than a more formal dress, as is typical.
“There’s no wardrobe budget, so I was not going out and buying a bunch of new clothes. I was just wearing what was in my closet,” said Lyons. “I’m the same person who wore a denim jacket to the Met Ball, and I always want something that feels a little bit more casual and a little bit off. I didn’t change because I was on the show.”
She added, “There were definitely a lot of comments from people about how they couldn’t believe I wore jeans and how that’s not appropriate,” said Lyons. “But who made up the rules that, just because every other woman has worn a sparkly dress, I had to do the same? Why on earth would you want me to fall in line?”
Now, along with LoveSeen, Lyons is working with brands on a consulting or project basis, with several undisclosed projects in the works. As for the next season of “RHONY,” she declined to say whether she’ll be part of the cast.
