Alo International CEO Benedetta Petruzzo on the Brand’s Big Euro Summer

When I get on Zoom to Alo’s international CEO Benedetta Petruzzo, I’m surprised to see she’s in the brand headquarters in LA. To the outside eye, the Alo brand, its trainers, and its A-list community of influencers have been firmly Euro-summering since May.

From the Alo mega-yacht, anchored at both the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix, to July takeovers of the Gigi luxury resorts across Saint-Tropez and Bodrum, to the brand new London wellness center (reserved for influencers and VIPs), opened in May, the brand has invested heavily in European activations, as it continues to scale its burgeoning business beyond the US.

Alo invited a star-studded guest list to its launch event in Saint-Tropez, including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Cindy Bruna, Alton Mason, and Peggy Gou.

Alo was founded in 2007 in Los Angeles by childhood friends Danny Harris and Marco DeGeorge. Beyond the figures, a scroll of social media or a quick scan of the girlies at airports and Pilates reformer studios in major cities will tell you that Alo continues to capture serious athleisure market share. But for a long time, the bulk of its business, and its entire physical retail network, was in the US, which represents. Now, after entering Europe in 2023 with a London store, the brand has its sights on further international expansion, in brand awareness and distribution, with Europe first in line.

Petruzzo — formerly managing director of Christian Dior Couture (2024 to 2026) and CEO of Miu Miu (2023 to 2024) — was appointed at Alo in January to work alongside CEO and co-founder Danny Harris to steer the brand’s international expansion and continue to fulfill its luxury ambitions, following its launch of $3,000 handbags earlier this year.

The brand’s Euro summer was very much a priority for the executive in her early months at the company. “Europe is a critical market for Alo, but it is also strategically important because it evokes a certain spirit of living,” Petruzzo says. “‘Euro summer’ already means something to consumers. We recognize luxury lifestyles are evolving [to incorporate wellness], and being part of this change really drives Alo. That alignment is what makes us different from everyone else.”

Alo’s summer activations were a major investment. Chartering a super yacht in Cannes and Monaco during their busiest times of the year alone is likely millions of dollars, even before you fly out scores of stars. So how does the label measure the ROI? “Of course, we are lucky enough to be considered a successful brand in a traditional way. We are growing. People like the brand, engage with us on social media and buy the product. But for us, success means being relevant,” Petruzzo says. “You can measure [ROI] the traditional way. It can be EMV (earned media value, which attaches monetary value to online engagement), the number of new customers, or revenue. But we try not to look at ourselves just like a brand that has to sell, that has to open stores. That’s too easy. We want to grow into a global cultural ecosystem.”

Stassie Karanikolaou (left) and Alix Earle (right) were spotted on the Alo mega-yacht in Monaco during the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix.

Arguably, Alo’s European play this summer was as much a marketing exercise for US talents and audiences as it was for the local community. But this global awareness sets the brand up to expand, Petruzzo says. Right now, London and the Netherlands are more developed markets for Alo. The aim is that before Alo fully enters a new market with physical stores, consumers are already aware of the brand, hence the major investment this summer. “The [Euro summer activations] are an international development of value, which isn’t about distribution. It’s more about bringing the brand to life, 360,” Petruzzo says.

Nonetheless, France is a growing focus. Alo opened outposts in Cannes and Saint-Tropez in May this year, while the Paris flagship is still in the works, set to open in the coming months. “A traditional approach would be to open Paris and then open Cannes or St Tropez eventually later. But, for me, those markets are as important as Paris to Alo, because our communities are there. We build around them.” In other markets it’s yet to target, Alo already has a digital business, driven by “the early adopters”, Petruzzo says.

Alo launched resort takeovers at Gigi Saint-Tropez and Gigi Bodrum.

Over the last five years, Alo’s marketing strategy, from the wellness centers to the Euro summer activations, has been underpinned by talent. From Kylie Jenner doing pilates on deck to Anastasia Karanikolaou and Alix Earle’s budding friendship on board, the brand has built a megawatt community that attends events, works out in the gyms (and organically posts about it) to millions of followers. But Petruzzo insists that it’s not just mega-influencers and high visibility that drives the company’s creator strategy.

“The objective isn’t simply visibility. This would be short-sighted,” she says. “We are creating long-term brand advocates. Very differently from others in the market, who transactionally create a relationship where a [talent] just works out wearing the brand. The people that express Alo, it’s really part of their lifestyle. They are in our gyms every day. They enjoy talking to our people and spending time with us.”

While sportswear brands have experimented with in-store gyms, fitness apps, community runs and the like in order to boost local brand resonance, Alo’s wellness center concept is a unique play. The strategy is simple, if not expensive: open a large state-of-the-art gym and reformer studio, with recovery facilities like cold plunge and sauna, have trainers available all day every day, and host complimentary classes and 1-1 sessions for celebrities, influencers and press, complete with gifted product should they need a new set. The setting encourages the high-profile celebrities and influencers who visit to post about it organically.

“These centers are the embodiment of Alo,” Petruzzo says. “So in key markets, it’s important we show up like this, beyond the store.” In Europe, London was “the right place to start”, she adds, but “it won’t end there.”

In July, content creator and podcaster Jake Shane partnered with Alo to launch a four-part workout series called “Shake & Train” on the Alo Wellness Club app (the workouts were all filmed aboard the yacht). Shane, who was new to fitness three years ago and is known for his self-deprecating humor, has posted his body transformation journey at the Alo Wellness Club in LA since 2023, sharing videos of his difficulties doing reformer pilates (named the “Jake shakes”, which inspired the workout series name), and fun moments sharing classes with his famous friends, like Glen Powell or Alix Earle. His post announcing the Alo workout series, filmed on the Alo Yacht, garnered 85,000 likes and over 700 comments. While aboard the yacht, Shane, Earle, and Karanikolaou shared several videos having fun together, which garnered more than 50 million cumulative views across the trio’s TikToks, making Shane one of Alo’s most important ambassadors.

“Jake wanted to transform his body. And he wanted to do it with us. It’s clear to the audience that there is a true relationship there, and I think the customer can just feel it and see it, and that’s why they connect with the brand more organically,” Petruzzo says.

The Alo Wellness Club app is free, providing video workout guides from Alo trainers. This underscores Alo’s approach to community building, Petruzzo says; it brings people into what she calls “practicing Alo”, whether they’re buying it or not, which builds the kind of resonance that often translates into sales.

While most of Alo’s brand awareness efforts this summer have been focused on Europe, Alo is also investing in Asia. Korea, in particular, is an area of focus, Petruzzo says. Alo opened its first Asian store in Seoul in July 2025, including an integrated wellness center. “Korea is an amazing market that gets Alo perfectly, that connects with the brand in a very authentic way, and that also influences the rest of Asia,” Petruzzo says. “[Consumers there] are so ahead of the trends. It’s been easy for them to connect with Alo. There’s more to come.”

Alo also just opened stores in Australia, which has been a “great success”, she shares. And the brand will soon open stores in Germany and Italy. “We don’t chase distribution,” Petruzzo says. “We take time to open in the right place, in the right location, close to the right competitors. We always have in mind where our community wants to find Alo, which is not necessarily where the most obvious competitor would be.” In line with the brand’s luxury ambitions, its New York, LA, Miami and Dubai stores are placed near luxury labels like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermès, instead of other activewear brands.

Since Alo opened its business accounts in China earlier this year, there’s been plenty of talk among local fashion insiders about the brand’s entry into the market, where many sportswear incumbents and luxury brands alike have met headwinds in recent years. But it’s taking its time, Petruzzo says. “It’s a big, important market, and it’s coming soon,” she says.