Alia Gray became the new president of Aesthetic Movement last summer. She succeeds founder Jesse James as he puts more focus on the growth of Shoppe Object, which he also founded. James still maintains a creative director role at Aesthetic Movement.
Having been with the company for approximately 20 years, Gray has embraced Aesthetic Movement’s goal to bring a curated lifestyle collection of independent makers to the forefront in multiple categories, helping it connect with the right retail customers. Aesthetic Movement is touted as a think tank for smart, creative collaborations, as well as being a harbinger of style.
Talk about Aesthetic Movement and its mission.
Aesthetic Movement takes a holistic approach to connecting our maker partners with the retail customers who appreciate them. It’s not about dollars. It’s about meaningful growth. We look after small makers and small towns, sharing real maker stories.
We are focused on partnership with our vendors, helping with product development and marketing as well as connecting makers with the right buyers.
Share a bit about your background and how you landed at Aesthetic Movement.
I’ve been with Aesthetic Movement for 20 years. Back when I started, we were the Keena agency, founded by Jesse James. I graduated from college right on the edge of the dotcom boom and bust. I went to work for a startup company and traveled and did tradeshows right out of school. After the dotcom bust, I went to work for a publisher and then another publisher. Cubicle life was not for me, even though I worked for great organizations.
I interviewed with Jesse in Keena’s Long Island City showroom. I was one of his first hires. When I got to there, I didn’t care what they were doing or what they were selling; I knew I wanted in. I knew this would be the job for me and the world I wanted to be a part of. I took over accounts and just jumped in. I’ve seen this company through every iteration. When Jesse would say, “We’re going to do this,” my answer would be, “Let’s go!”
Because I was there at the beginning, I’ve been able to grow up with a lot of brands and buyers. I feel that the good work I did in my 20s is paying the bills now. Aesthetic Movement has a national foothold, and it’s been a wonderful journey to navigate the ups and downs. I’m most proud of the times we’ve had to recalibrate because we’ve stayed true to who we are. We work hard to create a seamless continuity of presence for our brands, which serves them and us well.
What are the founding principles behind Aesthetic Movement that resonate with you?
Aesthetic Movement is so aspirational without being overly luxe. We’ve never had to say the words luxury or high-end. There is an intrinsic value to a level of design that is so aesthetically pleasing that we’ve created a new level of awareness of how inspiring good design and good quality can be. The product is not category-specific; it’s just the most beautiful it can be.
The lifestyle retailer is our core customer. It doesn’t matter if they sell primarily furniture or gourmet. It’s about a certain style. Initially, I fell in love with being in a company that was not all things to all people. It creates a more refined source, which is something people need right now.
Our presentation is such a big part of our success as well. We showcase our partners the way a retailer would want to see it in their stores. Loud and clear, we’re hearing that people want to see things in person. It’s about quality and style and finding ways to be aspirational.
Share your career journey with Aesthetic Movement.
I love what I do. Advancing in the company wasn’t a strategy on my part. Jesse set the tone, and I was grateful to him because he built a company that was based on family, connection and loyalty, and that still carries through for us. He was a big part of my growth. He’d adjust my role, recognizing certain things I was focusing on. I always believed in what we were doing, and I love the people I work with.
Working here, I was able to start and raise a family and do this job too. I never felt like the grass was greener somewhere else, so this just made sense for me and who I am.
Over the years, I had opportunities to take other roles, but nothing ever sang to me the way this company did, and nothing ever gave me all the parts of what I believe in and what I’m good at. The connection to this company was too great to ever look elsewhere. I really love our people and wholeheartedly love our brands — our makers and our salespeople are some of the most amazing people on the planet. I feel like all parts are perfect.
What are you most proud of in your tenure at Aesthetic Movement?
Hands down, it’s our people and our connection to the retail community. We’re proud to call some of the best retailers in the country our friends. We don’t just develop sales. We develop relationships, and we’ve built a wonderful community. We have nice continuity in our company — some of our salespeople have been here a long time, which has created a connection. That speaks volumes.
How is being president different from your previous roles in the company?
I feel like the position I’m in now as president is a position of service. I take that part of the job most seriously — being in service to our partners and our salespeople. I honestly don’t even like putting my title in my signature because the title is not as important as the responsibility. I just say I’m in sales.
As president though, my title does help me put emphasis on important things because I can step in and help right wrongs, for example. Generally though, my role is about service and sales. I’m still who I was before but my role has matured. I feel greater allegiance to everyone in our industry and our shared challenges.
Can you share some of the challenges you’ve faced at Aesthetic Movement and how you’ve overcome them?
I would say that along the way, we have to constantly stoke the fire. We need to be vigilant. There’s never a time when we can say, “Everything is great. We’re settled.” There’s never a plateau. There is always a curveball to focus on.
I’ve had the experience of starting my career during the Great Recession and know that there will be various economic challenges to address. If we lose a major line because of economic fallout, we navigate that.
One of the things I’m most proud of when I was sales director was post-pandemic. At that time, so much of sales were inflated because of frenzy buying and scarcity. Once that eased up, we had to recalibrate and that was one of our biggest challenges. I have to hand it our sales team because they made up the 30 percent to 40 percent of the sales that eased up when that shift happened. They went back out to our independent retailers and reenergized that business. We’ve seen steady increases overall in our business since then. We’ve been climbing each year, which I think is a pretty wonderful accomplishment. Independent retailers are the backbone of our business.
As president of Aesthetic Movement, are there changes you are working on for the near future?
We’re aiming to develop more exclusive collaborations in the coming year. It’s something we’ve had great success with. It’s foundational to our company and it’s something we want to continue to look toward. We are also aiming to expand in our showrooms in thoughtful and meaningful ways. Not more brands, but a more intentional showcasing of the brands we have. I’m hopeful these things will come to pass in the next year or two.
How does home décor play into the mix at Aesthetic Movement, and do you plan to expand that category?
We’re always leaning into home, and we’ve grown more confident in that category direction as it speaks to the lifestyle customer.
People need a healthy mix of products, and they need to feel connected to the style. We want to continue to grow on the home furnishings side in keeping with our other categories. It adds an interesting layer to somebody’s stylistic preferences.
We’ll always keep a surprising mix for people — that’s why we call ourselves Aesthetic Movement. We can be as broad or as narrow as we want and dabble in different categories if they speak to our stylish and aspirational aesthetic.
