TikTok’s “First Family” is officially taking its expertise in today’s social media-fueled “creator economy” to launch a company capitalizing on their daughters’ surging fame.
D’Amelio Brands is the namesake brainchild of the D’Amelio family, favorites among TikTok‘s Gen Z-heavy consumer base. With $6 million in funding to kickstart the venture, the Connecticut clan will create new owned brands and offer products across fashion, beauty and lifestyle.
The family’s famous faces include sister influencer duo 21-year-old Dixie D’Amelio, one of Puma’s newest partners, and 18-year-old Charli D’Amelio, TikTok’s highest-earning content creators last year earning a combined $27.5 million, according to Forbes. Charli raked in $17.5 million in branding and endorsement deals, while older sister Dixie contributed $10 million, Forbes added.
Charli is the second-most popular account on TikTok, with 146.4 million followers on the short-form video platform. Dixie’s 57.4 million base makes her the 11th-most-followed account.
Charli and Dixie’s father, Marc D’Amelio, a former Republican Connecticut Senate candidate, co-founded the company alongside Internet media entrepreneur Richard Rosenblatt.
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“After years of working with other brands on deals and partnerships, we have an innate knowledge of what consumers are looking for as well as the ability to identify voids in the marketplace,” Marc said in a statement. “We are so excited to announce this new venture and launch our own brand, giving us the ability to create products that are true to us and speak directly to our community.”
The launch comes as teens and young adults continue to turn to TikTok for videos and additional content in droves, giving the family an opportunity to sell D’Amelio-themed shirts, shoes and everything in between to a massive audience. An August Pew Research Center survey found that 67 percent of teens in the U.S. use TikTok, and 16 percent said they are on the platform almost constantly. The only app that carried more weight among this demographic was YouTube, which 95 percent of U.S. teens said they use. Nineteen percent say they frequently visit the site.
D’Amelio Brands said it’s focused on building a socially conscious business that represents the family’s values and will identify potential partner companies that are “socially aware and diverse” while championing small, inclusive and sustainable businesses.
The highest profile investor in the new venture is Fanatics CEO and Rue Gilt Groupe board member Michael Rubin.
“The D’Amelios have become some of the most authentic and influential social media personalities globally, and this was the perfect time to elevate their platform and create a new, cutting-edge business model that will reach consumers worldwide who are excited to engage with their brand,” Rubin said in a statement.
The D’Amelios are no strangers to selling products given their vast exposure on social media, but this will be the first time the family takes full ownership of the brands they are selling. The influencers launched the Social Tourist clothing label in partnership with Hollister last year, offering shoppers a range of comfort wear including hoodies, sweats, shorts, tops, jeans and more. And just three months ago, Charli launched the Born Dreamer fragrance on Ulta Beauty, before extending the perfume to another beauty brand, Morphe.
The sibling duo has collaborated with brands as ambassadors across all ends of fashion, including luxury labels Valentino, Prada and Burberry in addition to Puma.
D’Amelio Brands is on track to launch two brands by year’s end, with concrete expansion plans on deck for 2023, the company said.
“As I spent more and more time with the family, it became clear to me they could build an authentic and successful product business driven by their massive social reach and fashion sensibilities,” Rosenblatt said. “Not only do they know what voids exist in the market, but they know what consumers are looking for and exactly how to effectively market those products to their audience.”
The D’Amelios aren’t just known for their self-shot dancing skills or lip sync videos—their reach has expanded to the television streaming and music realms. Season two of their docuseries, The D’Amelio Show, is premiering on Hulu on Sept. 28. And Dixie released her first album, A Letter To Me, earlier this year.
The family, which also includes mom Heidi D’Amelio, also invested $25 million earlier this year to start venture capital fund 444 Capital and its mission backing high-growth companies with a focus on women and minority-led startups.
Alongside Rosenblatt and Rubin, D’Amelio Brands raised $6 million from investors including Apple’s senior vice president of services Eddy Cue; e-commerce entrepreneur Elena Silenok; Lions Gate Entertainment CEO Jon Feltheimer; media entrepreneur and producer Ben Silverman; BodyArmor founder Lance Collins and United Talent Agency.