The Lede Company, a full-service strategy, communications, integrated marketing, and social impact consulting firm, today announced the acquisition of Aisle 8, the London-based communications agency known for its work with everyday luxury fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands. Aisle 8 founder Lauren Winslade will join as President of Brand for The Lede Company London, bringing her full team of 21 into the firm. Matthew Avento will continue to oversee the Talent and Strategic Communications divisions at the firm’s London office. The announcement was made by Lede’s Co-founders and Co-CEOs Amanda Silverman, Christine Su, Meredith O'Sullivan, and Sarah Rothman.

Founded in 2014 and based in Farringdon, Aisle 8 has built a reputation as the agency behind the brands people want to buy, talk about, and use every day, with a current roster including MERIT, Ferrari, Astrid & Miyu, Our Place, Jigsaw, Dr Dennis Gross, Wonderskin, Bicester Village, Jo Loves, and Ruggable, and UK launch work for Away, Vuori, Kulfi, and Le Monde Gourmand. The agency’s services, which include brand development, media relations, influencer and talent partnerships, social strategy, and strategic counsel across fashion, beauty, and consumer lifestyle sectors, will be fully absorbed into Lede’s operations.

“We are so excited to add Lauren, a brilliant brand builder, and her incredible Aisle 8 team to The Lede Company London,” said Christine Su, Co-CEO of The Lede Company. “With a rare instinct for turning brands into cultural movements, Lauren has built one of London’s most respected communications agencies. The team’s deep relationships across UK media and their expertise in everyday luxury will both help us better serve our clients and further expand our presence internationally.”

“When I launched Aisle 8 in 2014, I saw a gap in the market for an agency built on relationships, commercial focus and a digital-first approach to communications,” said Lauren Winslade. “A decade on, joining Lede brings the scale, talent, expertise and ambition to take that vision even further. More than an acquisition, this is an opportunity to build something bigger for our clients and our people, and I’m thrilled to be starting this next chapter together.”

Winslade’s career spans two decades across agency, in-house, and global corporate roles. She began at luxury agency Aurelia PR working on Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Cîroc Vodka, before moving to Ketchum and then Hill & Knowlton, where she led fashion and beauty strategy for clients including Intel and P&G. In 2007, she went client-side at fashion e-tailer my-wardrobe.com, building the company's global PR function across the UK, US, Australia, Scandinavia, and the Middle East. Harrods then recruited her in 2012 to head PR & Communications, where she led a 20-person team shaping the store's omni-channel presence. Drawing on that experience, she launched Aisle 8 in 2014 and has since grown it into the go-to communications partner for ambitious, everyday luxury brands.

After launching in New York and Los Angeles in 2018, The Lede Company opened a London office in 2022 and acquired Paris-based agencies Olivier Bourgis Communication and Marketing (OBCM) and Ritual Projects in 2023. In 2025, Lede acquired Element Brand Group, the Los Angeles- and New York-based brand partnerships and integrated marketing agency. The firm has supported globally recognised brands, including Levi’s, Audi, Thom Browne, Diptyque, Aritzia, Bose, Summer Fridays, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Complex Media.

With dedicated Talent, Strategic Communications, Brand, Content, and Social Impact divisions, the firm works with some of the biggest names and brands in entertainment, fashion, beauty and wellness, CPG, advocacy, media, nonprofit, and related industries. The Lede Company continues to expand its global presence, client roster, and capabilities.

Pictured from left to right: Amanda Silverman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO; Christine Su, Co-Founder and Co-CEO; Meredith O’Sullivan, Co-Founder and Co-CEO; Sarah Levinson Rothman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO; Lauren Winslade, President of Brand, The Lede Company London. Images courtesy of The Lede Company