Mediaboss Marketing

Mia Khalifa, an adult film actress turned social media star, doesnt care if people like her jewellery line, Sheytan, which is the Arabic word for devil.

People are going to think its sacrilegious, theyre going to think its demonic, theyre going to think its evil and thats perfectly fine, said Khalifa. Anyone who doesnt understand it isnt going to be my audience anyway.

The self-assured knowledge of who she wants to speak to and how to do it has helped Khalifa, whose real name is Sarah Joe, build a combined audience of nearly 60 million on TikTok and Instagram. Well, that, plus a touch of scandal.

Khalifas tenure in the adult film industry was just a few months long but quickly turned her into a household name, with her videos collecting nearly a billion views and even death threats from ISIS after she was filmed wearing a hijab in an act. In 2020, she rose to new level of online notoriety when Gen-Z TikTok users started a #JusticeforMia campaign to advocate for Khalifa, who claimed she received just a small portion of the monster profit generated by her videos, which she filmed when she was only 21.

Around the same time, Khalifas following grew after she began sharing her personal life, posting videos of her puppies and political views, and online gossip sites like The Sun started reporting on her more inflammatory comments.

More recently, Khalifa has gone from internet fixation to front-row fixture, attending shows including Louis Vuitton and Bluemarble during Paris mens fashion week in June. Influencer marketing firm Lefty found she generated $7.8 million in earned media value (a measure of conversation on social media) for brands including GCDS, Acne and Moschino in the Autumn/Winter 2023 season, beating out Kylie Jenner and Zendaya.

Sheytan is her most ambitious project yet, and the jewellery line which features belly chains, necklaces and anklets priced from $80 to $600 is meant to mark a shift for Khalifa, who wants to become a serious fashion player. Sara Burn, a consultant and designer who has worked with plenty of hyped fashion brands, including Off-White, Yeezy and Agent Provocateur, is Khalifas partner and Sheytans chief commercial officer. According to Burn, Sheytans unique, playful, East-meets-West point-of-view helps distinguish the label as more than just another celebrity or influencer brand at a time when that models ability to build sustainable businesses has been called into question.

The idea of a celebrity brand has never appealed to me at all You could have millions of followers but be dead behind the eyes, said Burn. [Khalifa] is not fake. She has a compelling vision of the world. Shes human.

Sheytan came to be after a mutual friend introduced Khalifa and Burn in early 2021, around the same time Khalifas public profile was rising. Khalifa had already been approached about launching a lingerie or loungewear label, but Burn suggested a line of body jewellery.

I saw something I didnt see on anyone else, and it was the way she dressed her body [with jewellery], said Burn.

Jewellery plays an important role in Arab culture, said Khalifa, who is Lebanese. She couldnt find what she wanted on the market, so Khalifa would get custom items or wear mens bracelets as anklets.

Sheytans positioning, which looks to marry Khalifas Middle Eastern and Western roots on equal footing, is also rare, said Khalifa. As the business evolves, those ties between will be drawn out more.

We wanted to set a base level, and as we start to move through the collection and product categories, youre going to get a stronger sense of that cultural fusion, said Burn.

The brands pieces, ranging from 18-karat plated gold vermeil to 9-karat solid gold, are made in factories in Florence, Italy, and Kent, England. The brand plans to eventually offer a bespoke business outside regular sizing and more expensive, limited-edition pieces featuring more precious gems, with a first drop planned for December.

In plotting Sheytans future, Khalifa isnt looking to fellow it girl-owned brands for inspiration. Instead, she points to Ryanair specifically, the way the budget airline is quick to use humour and be part of conversation on TikTok.

Theyre my favourite on social media, said Khalifa. Theyre letting Gen-Z interns run off instinct.

Instinct is the engine of the Sheytan business, said Burn. The brand will move at its own pace when it comes to drops and take cues from the collaborative spirit Burn saw while working with Virgil Abloh at Off-White. Sheytan plans to do various collaborations outside the bounds of jewellery in sectors including fashion, fragrances and homewares. Already this year there are plans for Sheytan to drop a co-designed collection with cult streetwear brand Aries.

We are completely self-funded and we have no one to answer to and thats how were operating. Were doing whatever we want to do and whatever feels right, said Khalifa.

The launch of Sheytan comes as Khalifa herself is increasingly in fashion.

In addition to her timely fashion week attendance, she starred in a campaign for Marc Jacobs Gen-Z-focussed sub-brand Heaven and became the face of Shoreditch Ski Clubs new swim line, which Burn helped design, in May. Khalifa also published an essay on reclaiming her image on British Vogues website in June.

At the centre of it all is the infectious fun Khalifa seems to be having. Khalifa talks giddily about Paris Fashion Week, where she says she felt like a princess. She fangirled over the seamstress who sewed her bra backstage at the Bluemarble show (and she posted it).

That Khalifa sees herself as a regular girl is part of what makes her appealing online and what drove her desire to start her own brand, rather than just be an online personality.

I need to be a functioning member of society, not just an internet thing, said Khalifa. Im coming up on 30. I want a career. I want something tangible that I can pass on to my children.

Still, Khalifas talent at being a so-called internet thing has helped drive earned media value so far for brands, including $4.7 million for GCDS, Diesel and Moschino during Autumn/Winter 2023, according to Lefty.

Her audience represents a ripe jumping off point for Sheytan, and jewellery is a logistically smart space to start, as it has minimal sizing complexity and wide appeal. Keeping the business operationally sound post-launch and translating followers to sustained sales, however, is the real challenge.

This doesnt need to be an overnight success. This needs to be something that has longevity in it, that can grow and has really strong foundations, said Burn.

That foundation is built on Khalifas bold attitude. Case in point: After launch, some users replied to Khalifas announcement on Instagram, criticising Sheytans name and asking if she would change it. Her response was simple: The word no alongside a photo of her middle finger.

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Can Internet 'It Girl' Mia Khalifa Build a Lasting Business? - The Business of Fashion