Celebrity Business Moves This Week: Kaia Gerber, Alicia Keys, Tony Hawk, Ouai, Marc Jacobs & Roberto Cavalli Shake Up the Brand World

Alicia Keys’ Keys Soulcare enters a new chapter as ownership returns to the artist, putting the wellness-inspired beauty brand back in founder-led hands.

Celebrity business moves this week include Kaia Gerber investing in RE/DONE, Alicia Keys regaining Keys Soulcare, Tony Hawk backing a new MMA league, Ouai naming Susan Kim CEO, and major fashion deals involving Marc Jacobs and Roberto Cavalli.

Fame, Fashion, Face Cream, and a Surprisingly Serious MMA Plot Twist

Celebrities Are Not Just Selling Things Anymore... They're Buying the Table

This week in celebrity business news was not the usual parade of “famous person launches candle that smells like confidence and cedarwood.” No my friend, this week had actual strategy. We got celebrity equity plays, beauty brand reshuffling, executive appointments, luxury fashion acquisitions, and Tony Hawk casually appearing in the MMA investment conversation like someone dropped a skateboard into a boardroom and it landed on a term sheet.

The big theme is celebrities and celebrity-adjacent founders are no longer just slapping their names on products and hoping the algorithm does the rest. They're investing, reclaiming ownership, hiring operators, and getting folded into serious brand-management machinery. Imagine Hollywood, Wall Street, Sephora, and a luxury resale spreadsheet all sharing one chaotic group chat.

Kaia Gerber Steps Further Into the Fashion Business With RE/DONE

Kaia Gerber is making it clear that her fashion résumé is not stopping at model, actress, and genetically blessed person who makes denim look less emotionally complicated than it is. RE/DONE announced a new campaign this week featuring Gerber, who joined the brand earlier in 2026 as an investor, creative partner, and advisory board member. That matters because “creative partner” can sometimes mean “stood near a mood board once,” but the investor and advisory board language suggests something more substantial.

RE/DONE, known for its vintage-inspired denim and Americana cool-girl energy, is leaning into Gerber’s image as it pushes a broader lifestyle identity. In plain English: the jeans are trying to become a world, and Kaia is being positioned as one of the attractive architects holding the blueprint.

Alicia Keys Gets Keys Soulcare Back, and That Is Bigger Than a Beauty Shelf Shuffle

Alicia Keys had one of the more interesting beauty moves of the week: e.l.f. Beauty transferred ownership of Keys Soulcare back to Keys, who originally co-founded the lifestyle beauty brand with e.l.f. Beauty and dermatologist Dr. Renée Snyder in 2020. For the uninitiated, Keys Soulcare was never just “moisturizer, but make it famous.”

It was built around skin care, self-care, rituals, and the kind of serene branding that makes you feel judged by your own bathroom lighting. The transfer suggests e.l.f. is tightening its portfolio while Keys gets direct control over the brand’s next chapter. This is the celebrity-brand equivalent of getting your apartment key back after letting a very efficient corporate roommate help decorate for a few years.

Tony Hawk Backs a New MMA League, Because Apparently the Business Multiverse Has Jokes

In the week’s most “wait, read that again” moment, Tony Hawk surfaced as one of the investors behind Scott Coker’s new MMA promotion, which is expected to launch globally in early 2027. Coker, the former Strikeforce and Bellator boss, is reportedly returning with a $60 million funding round and a tournament-style format. Tony Hawk being part of this investor group is not as random as it first sounds, despite the mental image of someone attempting a kickflip near an octagon.

Hawk has long been more than an athlete... he's a brand, a media figure, a licensing machine, and a walking case study in how to turn niche sport credibility into mainstream commercial power. So yes, the skateboard legend backing a new combat sports venture is unusual... but not unserious.

Ouai Names Susan Kim CEO, Which Is Corporate for “Time to Scale Without Setting the House on Fire”

Ouai, the hair care brand founded by celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin, appointed Susan Kim as CEO, with the announcement framing the move around global growth and expansion. Kim joins from Kopari Beauty and has also worked at major beauty companies including L’Oréal and Benefit Cosmetics. This is one of those less flashy business moves that can matter more than a splashy celebrity campaign. Founder-led beauty brands often hit a point where vibes, Instagram excellence, and cult products are no longer enough.

Eventually someone has to deal with international distribution, retail relationships, supply chains, margins, hiring, and all the deeply unglamorous things hiding behind your shiny shampoo bottle. Atkin remains central to the brand’s creative identity, while Kim steps in as the operator. In beauty-world terms, that is the grown-up table.

Marc Jacobs Leaves LVMH’s Nest, and Luxury Gets a Little More Complicated

Marc Jacobs also delivered a major business headline, though this one sits more in the designer-celebrity and luxury IP lane than the influencer-founder lane. LVMH agreed to sell Marc Jacobs to a joint venture involving WHP Global and G-III Apparel Group, with Reuters reporting the buyers were raising up to $850 million to support the acquisition. Marc Jacobs is expected to remain creative director, which is important because luxury brands without their creative pulse can quickly start looking like expensive mall ghosts.

The deal also reflects a larger luxury industry trend: big conglomerates are becoming more selective, while brand-management firms are increasingly interested in culturally powerful fashion names that can be licensed, expanded, and monetized across categories. Translation: the logo is the asset, the nostalgia is the fuel, and everyone is pretending this is not terrifying.

Roberto Cavalli Joins the Brand-Management Party

Roberto Cavalli also entered the acquisition chat this week, with Marquee Brands announcing a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in the Italian luxury house. The brand, famous for its bold prints, red carpet drama, and general “subtlety is for quitters” aesthetic, will become Marquee’s first major step into luxury fashion. Creative director Fausto Puglisi is staying in place, while The Level Group is expected to manage operations including retail, e-commerce, and wholesale.

This isn't just another fashion deal... it's part of the same broader shift that includes Marc Jacobs. Brand-management companies are moving further into premium and luxury fashion, betting that heritage names can be revived, stretched, and sold globally without flattening the magic. Whether that works depends on whether they treat luxury like culture or like a spreadsheet wearing sunglasses.

The Big Trend: Celebrity Brands Are Growing Up, Whether They Like It or Not

The thread connecting all these moves is surprisingly clear: celebrity business is maturing. Kaia Gerber is not merely modeling denim; she is investing in the brand. Alicia Keys is not just fronting Keys Soulcare; she is taking ownership back. Tony Hawk is not just lending cool-factor to sports culture; he is backing a new league. Jen Atkin’s Ouai is not just riding founder charisma... it's hiring executive leadership to scale.

Marc Jacobs and Roberto Cavalli show how fashion names can become powerful intellectual property in the hands of brand-management firms. The celebrity economy is becoming less about one-off endorsements and more about ownership, operations, licensing, and long-term brand architecture. Yes, that sounds less glamorous than a perfume launch party, but it is where the money tends to hide, smugly, in a blazer.

Why This Matters for Entertainment, Beauty, Fashion, and Media Brands

For creators, celebrities, and media companies, this week is a neat little business-school lecture wearing designer sunglasses. The fame is useful, obviously. Let us not insult reality. But fame alone is not the business model anymore. The stronger play is pairing audience trust with smart capital, experienced operators, product-market fit, and a brand story that can survive after the launch-week confetti gets swept into a sad corner.

Celebrity brands that win are not just famous; they are structured. They know who owns what, who operates what, who scales what, and who keeps the brand from accidentally becoming a clearance-bin cautionary tale. Terribly boring? Perhaps. Necessary? Obviously.

This week’s celebrity business moves show an industry shifting from star power to structure. Kaia Gerber is becoming a fashion investor. Alicia Keys is reclaiming brand ownership. Tony Hawk is backing a combat sports venture. Ouai is strengthening leadership. Marc Jacobs and Roberto Cavalli are being repositioned inside the luxury brand-management machine.

The old formula was “put a famous face on the box.” The new formula is “put a famous face, a cap table, a capable CEO, a licensing strategy, and global distribution on the box.” Less poetic, yes — but much more likely to pay the rent on that very tastefully lit flagship store.

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References

Reuters. “LVMH to sell Marc Jacobs to WHP Global, G-III as buyers raise $850 million.” Published May 14, 2026.

Reuters. “Less is more: Marc Jacobs sale shows LVMH cutting complexity as downturn drags.” Published May 15, 2026.

Business of Fashion. “Kaia Gerber Joins Re/Done as Investor and ‘Creative Partner.’” Published January 22, 2026.

PR Newswire. “RE/DONE Announces ‘Short/Cuts,’ a New Brand Campaign Starring Kaia Gerber.” Published May 20, 2026.

BeautyMatter. “e.l.f. Beauty Transfers Ownership of Keys Soulcare.” Published May 21, 2026.

Allure. “E.L.F. Cosmetics Is Lowering Their Prices After Tariff-Induced Increases.” Published May 21, 2026.

New York Post. “Scott Coker details plans for new MMA league.” Published May 22, 2026.

MMA Fighting. “‘I’m back’: Scott Coker announces return to MMA with new promotion.” Published May 21, 2026.

ESPN. “Ex-Strikeforce, Bellator CEO Coker to launch new MMA league in ’27.” Published May 21, 2026.

Cosmetics Business. “Ouai appoints Susan Kim as CEO to ‘help scale the business globally.’” Published May 15, 2026.

Global Cosmetics News. “Ouai appoints Susan Kim as CEO to drive global growth.” Published May 15, 2026.

Vogue. “Roberto Cavalli to be Acquired by Marquee Brands.” Published May 21, 2026.

Reuters. “Marquee Brands to buy majority stake in Italian fashion group Cavalli.” Published May 21, 2026.

Business Wire. “Marquee Brands Enters Strategic Partnership With DAMAC Group for a Majority Interest in Roberto Cavalli.” Published May 20, 2026.

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