For Alo New Year 2026 The Future of Luxury Is Wellness, but China Has Headaches with Alo
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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for ALO January 2026 | Benedetta Petruzzo Joins ALO AOC Body
Los Angeles-based Alo brand named Benedetta Petruzzo as international chief executive officer [CEO].
In a head-spinning twirl from CEO of Miu Miu to managing director of Christian Dior Couture in October 2024 to her new assignment at ALO, the highly-qualified Petruzzo leaves Dior at an interesting moment.
"We believe the future of luxury is wellness -- and we're building a global ecosystem around that belief," said Alo co-founder Danny Harris, who remains as co-CEO with fellow co-founder and co-CEO Marco DeGeorge.
"Benedetta's luxury expertise, strategic rigor, and feel for brand energy will help us take Alo's momentum to the next level. She understands how to build desire at the highest end of the market while staying true to a brand's DNA, which is exactly what this next chapter of ALO requires."
Supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is featured in this new ALO [IG] campaign, lensed by Marie Schmidt [IG].
Update: ALO has a sponsored post on Vogue featuring ALO’s 7-Day Reset Ritual, which launched on the free ALO Wellness app and featuring longtime ALO ambassador Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. It “promises seven days-worth of workouts, recipes, and self-care tips led by ALO Wellness Club trainers, in partnership with Chenot Palace Weggis, a Swiss resort renowned for its science-backed focus on longevity and detox.”
I’m no expert on wellness, but this free app and its content looks very solid.
An obvious question to ask was if Rosie or her shared-partners, wellness-focused, branding and investment company The Equity Studio — founded by investor Anna Sweeting — was also an investor in Alo. The answer was negative.
Alo’s Raising Capital and China Brand Challenges
After further sleuthing, we learned that Alo has been in the market for capital with a $10 B valuation since 2023, which sounds way high. The concept is impressive and very sound before the arrival of Petruzzo, who will be a big help in raising capital and instituting sound financial management systems and international marketing rules.
There are tariff-related risk limitations, however. With most of its manufacturing done in China, there is a major risk introduced by President Trump’s volatile and deeply personal approach to tariffs, inflamed with added volatility by US relations with China. Presumably Europe doesn’t bear those same risks with Chinese manufacturing.
Jing Daily reports that Alo will probably face direct challenges in the China market, as it prepares to open stores in Shanghai and Beijing. JD writes that “years of rampant counterfeiting” have already shaped how Chinese customers view the brand. Those perceptions will impact what customers are willing to pay for product.
in the case of their first Fall 2025 Alo Bag Collection with a $3,000 price tag, the venture did not go well in China. In a separate JD story from November 2025 telling Alo it’s now or never time, copycat brands in China with names like ‘Ola’ and ‘Ala’ confuse customers, erode brand recognition and negatively impact perceived value.
In conclusion, to reach its best opportunity for success, it seems that the many skills for former Miu Miu CEO Benedetta Petruzzo couldn’t have arrived at a better moment. AOC loves what Alo envisions as the future of wellness. But there are flags on the field, ones that can’t be ignored.