I’m fresh from the French Riviera, dahhhling! There’s just something about stepping off a plane in the South of France. The air smells like saltwater and citrus, mixed with what I can only describe as quiet glamour.
I was scheduled to be in town for Cannes Lions, but before switching completely into corporate founder mode for a few days of panels and brand strategy meetings, Justin and I started our trip in Nice with a beautiful, intimate celebration: the wedding of my sweet friend Leonie Hanne and her longtime partner, Alex Galievsky.
We stayed at the Hôtel Nice Riviera. The first night was the welcoming party, where Justin managed to eat about ten slices of truffle pizza (I stopped at a respectable five). It was a gorgeous night, and we slept in until about noon the next day, which was a literal miracle and something we never get to do, EVER.
For the wedding, I wore a long Pucci dress that had an adjustable rope halter top. The girls were strapped in, of course (I’m obsessed with this new boob tape from Boomba—my boobs did get really sweaty when we were dancing but I was able to scoop them back in, it was fine 😂).
You know how weddings work; people always remember the food and the music, and let me tell you, the food (steak! Pasta! Nutella pizza!) and the music was top top top notch—they brought out horn players, which I just think is the best thing to add to a DJ booth. As Leonie captured in her speech, everything in life deserves "a tidbit of drama," and her wedding weekend delivered it in the most elegant, timeless way possible. During the ceremony, fountains synchronized perfectly with the couple’s first kiss. I love love!
But the secret to surviving a high-stakes, super busy work trip is knowing when to protect your peace, so Justin and I took a mandatory “off-day” together at the beach before leaving Nice. No schedules, no calendar alerts. Just a relaxed morning followed by a quiet afternoon of napping (me) and reading (him) while listening to the waves and resetting our nervous systems. Very “calm before the storm” vibes.
The second the sun set on Leonie’s wedding weekend, we headed straight into the thick of Cannes Lions. We were up at the crack of dawn to leave our hotel and check into an Airbnb because there was not one hotel left in Cannes. It ended up being great, because we were off the beaten path a bit. And when I say off the beaten path, I mean just 10 minutes from the Croisette, which is the main strip of Cannes. I was in glam by 6:30AM, then it was off to the races.
I’ll give it to you straight: Cannes Lions is no joke! It’s a beast of a festival, and it brings together the innovators and ultimate decision-makers from every major global brand, creative agency, and tech giant on earth. It’s parties, yes, but it’s also where the real, raw business conversations are happening. And that’s where I wanna be.
My mission for the week was showcasing our collaboration with JCPenney and sharing my journey as a first-time creative director. I wanted to give these global brands a reality check on true consumer representation. We had a jam-packed schedule of speaking engagements, and keeping my hair and makeup composed was a full-on talent in itself. I don’t know if it was 100 degrees, but it sure did feel like it (shoutout to my two electric fans keeping me alive!).
Here’s the AG play-by-play of how we brought the boardroom to the beach:
Panel #1: Adweek House — Fashion Forward
I kicked off day one bright and early at Adweek House, sitting down with Marisa Thalberg from Catalyst Brands and Adweek’s Jenny Rooney.
The look: To set the tone for the festival, I wore a lovely morning look from my current JCPenney collection: a flowy cream skirt set with a see-through cardigan and a lacy white Victoria’s Secret bra underneath. We were right on the sea at the Le Majestic, so I wanted to give minimalist mermaid vibes. 🧜🏼♀️
The reality check: Marisa and I leaned hard into the retail blind spot that still exists today. Let’s look at the data, shall we? About 67% of American women are over a size 12/14, yet less than 20% of apparel is actually made in those sizes. We talked about what it actually looks like to genuinely build community for a consumer who wants quality, affordable, trend-forward fashion in her size without feeling looked down upon.
The pitch: True authenticity should happen organically, from community and conversation, not manufactured behind the scenes by a group of execs trying to piece together what they think will work. IMO, the brands that find themselves chasing that authenticity through a specific creator or influencer are often the ones struggling most. It needs to feel effortless and real!
Panel #2: The Female Quotient — Designed to Be Seen
Next up was the Female Quotient panel on the Hôtel Martinez rooftop, moderated by my girl Allison Statter, the founder and CEO of Blended Strategy Group.
The look: Allison and I walked out both trending in black capris, so you know the style was locked in! I paired mine with a sea foam green halter top, bright red Jude mules, and a red Chanel bag and sunglasses for that perfect pop of Riviera color. I wouldn’t normally put those colors together but it totally worked.
The focus: This convo was all about moving past superficial, surface-level inclusion to inspire lasting trust with audiences who are typically overlooked (ahem, curvy girls!). Like I said…when a brand stops chasing assumptions and starts responding to the reality of who their community actually is, THAT’S how you turn a casual customer into a loyal advocate who keeps coming back again and again.
Panel #3: Adweek Marketing Vanguard Inspiration Excursion
On day two, Marisa and I participated in an invite-only discussion tailored for CMOs and brand leaders.
The look: I wore a gorgeous, beachy black dress covered in colorful flowers with a va-va-voom keyhole top. I felt very ladylike, but still sexy 🥰
The vibe: It was held at this incredible salmon-colored bubble house, the Palais Bulles, which overlooks the Bay of Cannes and used to be designer Pierre Cardin’s vacation home. As it came into view on our drive, I said, “Oh, that looks like an influencer’s dream come true.” Cut to us pulling into the driveway (this influencer’s dream come true). I hear Lenny Kravitz stayed there. Such a beautiful backdrop!
Panel #4: Dentsu Beach House — Creative Disruption
We headed to the Dentsu Beach House across from the Mondrian Hotel for another fireside chat with Marisa, moderated by Christena Pyle.
The look: I stayed in my floral dress because it was very Cannes-esque; I really think it’s the perfect vacation dress, but also easy and fun enough to wear with flats at the park with your kids.
The disruption: Marisa and I broke down the behind-the-scenes strategy of our JCPenney commercial campaign, OMITTED, which has officially generated over one billion impressions, by the way. Dropping another stat right here: only 2% of curvy women cast in film and television are written as the main character. Shameful.
The franchise model: We disrupted the fashion world by treating our curves-first collection launch like a major entertainment franchise—producing a prestige cinema trailer to give the consumer the true main character energy she deserves. At the end of the day, when we respect the consumer enough to design for her reality, the business results speak for themselves.
Sitting on those panels, I reflected on how much this moment meant to me personally. I’ve done major brand partnerships in the past—swimwear with Swimsuits for All, lingerie with Addition Elle, and my denim line with Marina Rinaldi. I didn’t just smack my name on a label; I loved and fostered those collections to my core.
But stepping into this multi-year partnership with JCP feels entirely different. I’m bringing those years of hard-earned experience in trends, body proportions, darts, and fittings directly to the table. I’m actively raising the design standards to create elevated pieces that I want to see in my own closet, and what I know women want to see in theirs as well.
It’s so rewarding to feel genuinely drawn to the clothes—I love showing them off in my daily life and at these big global events. And yes, the entire collection is available to shop online right now! 🥂
OK, let’s address the question I’m sure a few people were whispering behind the scenes when my name popped on the Cannes Lions speaker lineup:
Why is she here?
On paper, it’s easy for traditionalists to look at a supermodel at a marketing festival and assume it’s only for the glamour or the photo ops (not that I’m opposed to those things 😎). But babes…if you think my career is still just about modeling, you haven’t been paying attention.
I came to Cannes as an investor, founder, and corporate partner. When I’m driving strategy for Lucci, investing in disruptive brands like Coterie and Knix, or deep in my creative director bag for a legendary retailer like JCPenney, my job revolves around business logistics and consumer psychology. Being at Cannes Lions in front of Fortune 500 CMOs wasn’t as much about fitting into their world as changing who gets a seat at the table in a $10B industry.
Ashley’s Final Thought Bubble 💭
Cannes Lions is a completely different experience from the Cannes Film Festival. (To be completely fair, I’ve only been to the Film Festival once, and my memories are basically just a blur of endless fitting and dinners and that one big grand moment on the red carpet before you’re whisked away—but I stand by this.)
Cannes Lions still has all the fabulous food, the late-night festivities, and the fun outfits and all that. But it also brings real, raw, meaningful conversations with incredibly interesting folks from all over the globe who are actively trying to push culture forward.
The biggest piece of advice I gave the crowds sitting at Adweek, Dentsu, and The Female Quotient? Marketers cannot afford to play it safe.
The absolute best brand strategy comes from listening to real-time social feedback and having the guts to dismantle tired corporate pretenses. It requires being brave enough to respond to the real, diverse reality of who your customer is—not who you assume she is.
At each of my panels, I made it a point to meet and mingle with the people who showed up for the exact same reason I did. And after the Palais Bulles presentation, I ended up speaking with two fathers of young daughters. The first dad has a 12-year-old who is desperate to break into modeling. He was so worried; he wanted me to help her realize that this industry isn’t endless glamour and that it can actually be quite brutal on your confidence. The second dad had an 8-year-old, and he literally had tears in his eyes while explaining how insecure she already feels about herself.
It broke my heart, but it also lit a fire under me. I recorded personalized video messages for both girls, reminding them exactly who they are. I also told both dads to grab a copy of A Kids Book About Beauty, so they could have a tangible tool to help start those body-positive conversations at home.
And that is exactly why I belong at Cannes.
When we talk about representation, consumer psychology, and “marketing data,” we aren’t just trying to chase trends. We’re dealing with real people. We are shaping how an 8-year-old girl looks at her reflection in the mirror, and how a 12-year-old girl defines her worth.
When brands stop playing it safe and actually design for the real world, everybody wins.
Sending you love and main character energy,
xo Ashley
A bible verse I love:
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.
Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.” — Philippians 4:8-9
A moment I’m especially grateful for:
Our rare day off together in Nice fell on Father’s Day, so Justin and I snuck away for a date night. We chartered a sleek little speed boat to commute to an early dinner at La Mère Germaine, sat right on the water, and ordered everything in sight—lobster, caviar, pasta, you name it—washed down with whisky (him) and Champagne (me). We shared hazelnut gelato for dessert, then took the boat back under a pitch-black sky, lying on the deck and watching shooting stars across the Mediterranean. It was the most perfect, romantic way to end our day off.
The best thing I ate:
Can’t believe I’m saying this, but during the only two hours I had to myself in Cannes, I ordered Uber Eats from Nonna Focaccia and got the most delicious sandwich known to man: mortadella, and fresh stracciatella layered with pistachio cream. I’m still dreaming about it.
The “only in Cannes” moment:
Watching Ludacris perform live while casually catching up with Karlie Kloss, Lindsey Vonn, Priyanka Chopra, and Paris Hilton.
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