For this edition of the REOME Journal, Joanna Ellner writes from her first US trip of the year: a stretch of investor meetings, retail conversations, and the official launch of REOME at Raf's on Elizabeth Street. Captured on her film camera between Los Angeles and New York, she reflects on the tools that sustain her on the road, the conversations shaping REOME's American chapter, and the considered, brick-by-brick approach behind building a luxury brand on its own terms.
A founder's diary on travel, work, and what it takes to lay foundations.
There is a particular kind of melancholy that arrives with West Coast jet lag. You are tired from the journey, on your own (which is, in itself, a treat), but you miss your family, your silly little dog, and feel a little out of sorts. The flight always feels like stolen time. I spent this one working through a Figma deck, willing it to save the moment we hit Wi-Fi. That is the founder's reality. There is no real downtime, only the next deck, the next email, the next decision.
My first stop, as always, was a CVS drugstore haul. Melatonin gummies – essential. Then to Palihouse in West Hollywood, a 1950s Malibu-meets-Palm-Springs vibe that feels exactly right for the city. I showered and immediately slathered my skin in Active Recovery Broth, the ultimate saviour for skin that has been fatigued, dried out, and a little congested by a long-haul flight.
I travel with three wash bags. One for hair and body (Oribe shampoo always comes with me), one for facial skincare, and one for fragrance, deodorant, and everything else. When I am moving fast, I skip the warm water and flannel routine and reach for cotton pads soaked in water with the REOME Three Suns Balm Cleanser pressed off in layers. It works brilliantly and does not strip the skin. I will not travel anywhere without a proper, chunky pot of our Firming Eye Treatment. The puffiness arrives the moment I sit down on a plane. This is what makes me look human the next morning.
LA was a string of meetings, VC investors, retail conversations, a busy schedule held together by coffee. I tried for breakfast at Community Goods, but the queue was a thing of legend, so I went round the corner for a cream cheese and smoked salmon bagel. I lose my appetite when I travel. That bagel took me most of the morning.
I went to Platform in Studio City and met its founder, David, who walked me through a store space we may look at for REOME. I have always believed REOME should have brick and mortar.
Skincare should be seen, felt, touched, and experienced.
Skincare should be seen, felt, touched, and experienced. Much like fragrance, the tactility is part of falling in love with the product. And there is nothing like a person in store who can talk you through new biotech ingredients you have never come across before. Retail in the US is evolving in such an interesting way, moving away from the classic department store model into something more accessible, more experiential, more inviting.
Lunch with an investor friend at Salty Girl in West Hollywood. The most amazing tuna in a tin, slathered across hot toast, surrounded by all the different salts. In my advanced age I have become a salt fiend, which is, I am sure, appalling for my body, but I cannot help it.
LA had been a little overcast, so landing in New York on a Sunday evening into blistering blue sunshine felt like a gift. I had not stayed at The Bowery before. The lobby has the feel of an old gentleman's club or a speakeasy, the team kind and patient with my endless luggage, and friends had told me it is where the likes of Jon Hamm go to hang out and talk scripts in the foyer. New York reminds me of London, where I lived for sixteen years before I moved to Surrey. Everything in arm's reach, a nucleus you can navigate on foot. It is a very British way to want a city to be.
We were preparing for the launch at Raf's, and my sleep was still a patchwork. Melatonin gummies, Active Recovery Broth, Firming Eye Treatment, and Biogenic Melting Cream every morning to drench the skin in moisture. My makeup bag does not change when I travel. Giorgio Armani foundation, always. I have been loving the Kosas Concealer and the Fara Homidi lip palettes, two of which came with me to Raf's. On the morning of the launch, setting up the table on Elizabeth Street with the flowers and talking through what we wanted the photographer to capture, I asked the MVPR team which colour I should wear. We went with the brown. It reads slightly red in the photos, but I loved it. Very matte at first, applied with a brush, then diffused and softer at the edges as the morning went on. A modern way to wear a classic lipstick.
My outfit nearly did not happen. The clothes I had planned to wear did not arrive in time, so the day before the breakfast I walked from my hotel to Toteme, where a lovely man called Dom helped me find something that felt like me but a little bit specialty. A crunched, scrunched crochet knit skirt and a baggy black silk long-sleeve top (the Margot Robbie at the airport reference, easy and a little loose), paired with Magda Butrym heels topped with an enormous black petal flower that all but obscured my outfit. They were a moment. I was happy.
I love my friend Janelle, who cuts hair in New York, but I have learned that styled hair on me is a bit like fake tan. It just does not suit me. So I took advice from Jake at John Frieda and twisted small pieces with Color Wow styling cream, probably three times the amount I would normally use because of the heat and humidity. It gave me that dipped-in-the-sea wave I was after. I am still getting used to my new haircut, very layered, but I love it. We all need to step away from the blunt cut for a while. My hair is thick and very blonde, so anything I can do to take weight out before I give in to the urge to crop it into a bob again. (I have had a million bobs. I am trying to grow it.)
The breakfast itself was beautiful. Raf's did a fantastic job. The French omelette had a barely-set, melting centre that dissolved on the tongue, with cod roe on top for good measure. Meeting everyone at the table felt like an honour. So many had already heard of REOME, already tried it, and I just know we have chosen to create a really beautiful home for the brand here in the US, one that can grow organically and find its tribe in a way that feels authentic.
We are laying foundations brick by brick.
We have been deliberating about when to enter the US since we launched. Now felt right, particularly because we did not want to build something overly reliant on one big retail partner. The bigger the partner, the more autonomy they have over how the brand looks, launches, and lives in the world. I believe there is a different path for a luxury brand, and so we are laying foundations brick by brick. Our U.S. warehouse is in place, a huge step that the team worked incredibly hard to get over the line, which means everyone in North America can now shop and have REOME shipped direct from reome.com.
We have a beautiful set of retailers to announce in the coming months. For now, you can find us at Forward by Revolve, Moda Operandi, and at Raquel Medina-Cleghorn's Facialist Studio Raquel in New York. Raquel was the very first person to ever stock the brand, and we are deeply grateful for her support and partnership.
Around the table we talked about everything. Dating, gel manicures, the state of politics, tariffs. I could have stayed all day. Our guests were intelligent, charismatic, magnetic. I cannot wait to be back.
