Glossy Blogger Hayden On Celebrity Clothing Lines!

Britney Spears “designing” for Candies and Madonna’s offspring Lourdes “designing” for Macy’s….what next, chimps “designing” for Prada????….

Nicole Ritchie House of Harlowe SS09

Celebrity clothing lines are becoming more and more common by the minute with A-list or even z-list stars joining the “designing” bandwagon to add to their resume. It’s a subject I find myself getting a little frustrated about with me being an aspiring fashion designer/illustrator. As soon as I hear about another celebrity releasing a clothing line, I just roll my eyes as it’s become so cliché to the point of becoming a joke! I don’t mean to sound harsh but I’m definitely not the only one who thinks so! It just seems to me that some of these celebs are just using (or abusing) a career as “fashion designer” as a way of making extra cash and fair play to them for that, but when there is genuine talent out there that are studying and working their butts off to try and make it in this incredibly competitive industry, it seems a little unfair.

It’s all well and good being an entrepreneur and expanding your brand but in my opinion, only if you have studied fashion or are genuinely passionate about it as a career should you take it on. I think with fashion, alot of people automatically assume that it’s an easy job because they are fooled by the glamorous exterior. It’s not like a movie or a t.v show that can be wrapped up…..fashion is ongoing and full time nonstop work. As soon as you finish one collection, it’s right onto the next one! This seems like a factor that a lot of these celebs don’t realise because these celebrity fashion lines rarely seem to last more than a few seasons, if that!

Reality “stars” like some of MTV’s ‘The Hills’ cast have launched clothing lines and have failed to have longevity because either their heart wasn’t genuinely in it, or the clothes looked cheap and were nothing special to begin with! It’s not just the reality “stars” though, the big A-listers like Jennifer Lopez (who started the celeb line trend but failed to have longevity) and Britney Spears are at it too. Britney has just recently “designed” pieces for U.S brand Candies but anyone who is familiar with Spears own personal style would know that she can just about dress herself let alone design a clothing line. Most likely, Spears gets a catalogue from the retailer, (cheap stuff they can get from their chinese contractors) picks a few pieces, gets a check and voila…..a celeb designer collection! The same thing most likely applies to Kate Moss for Topshop. A lot of people find it hard to believe that these high profile celebs actually sit down and sketch different design ideas like a real designer would and it’s easy to see why. Even Madonna (who had a clothing range for H&M) is collaborating with her very young daughter Lourdes on a clothing range for U.S store ‘Macys’ called ‘Material Girl’ which couldn’t be more cliché if it tried.

The Row Fall 2010

I’m not saying all celebs who come out with clothing lines are just in it for the money though……it’s more a case of ‘judge of character’ in a sense, and you can tell who is passionate and who isn’t even if you don’t know them personally. It shows in the designs, quality etc and only the best of the crop are having success!

Victoria Beckham Autumn/Winter 2010 Collection

For example, Victoria Beckham’s range of dresses. Other than being a total clotheshorse, Victoria seems to have a strong passion for fashion  but beyond that…..her dresses speak for themselves and have proven to be a major hit with the fashion pack and the women of Hollywood. Flattering designs that look timeless and elegant but still modern! Consistently designing quality dresses with the help of her team of course, but you can tell she is in it for the long haul. Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen are another success story with their fashion lines ‘The Row’ and ‘Elizabeth & James’ being another successful venture for the twins. Their fashion line for Wal-Mart aimed at ‘tweens’ was an instant hit when they were younger and they have since ditched the tween line in favour of mature lines aimed at 20 -30 something Women and Men. Simple luxurious basics and a mix between masculine and feminine designs have made their lines a hit and as a result, the twins have been inducted into the CFDA (Council Of Fashion Designers Of America) which is a big achievement. It just goes to show that if celebs take the right route and are passionate enough, they can have more than success in the fashion industry…..they can have longevity too!

List of current successful celeb clothing lines:

The Row and Elizabeth & James by Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen.

Victoria Beckham

L.A.M.B by Gwen Stefani

House Of Harlow by Nicole Richie

William Rast by Justin Timberlake.

*Post by Hayden