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Monday, March 10, 2014

Fashion Designer Credentials Required





For all the luxury fashion brands that flourish there are many more that flounder. Over the course of the past few fashion weeks, I have found myself wondering about the high-end fashion brands that are no more. Just recently, actress Katie Holmes spokesperson announced that Holmes and her stylist, Jeanne Yang, were ending their fashion line. Creative differences may have come into play based on the rumors swirling around the announcement; however, whether that is true or not, the brand never really seemed to elevate their designs to a level demanded by those whose responsibility it is to assess the worthiness of luxury apparel presented on runways and in lookbooks. Could this perhaps, have been the reason for the downfall of the line? The answer may never be revealed; however, I have come to my own conclusions about the reason some celebrity lines have been successful while others have not. Note: The above and below looks are from Holmes & Yang Spring 2014 Ready to Wear Collection. Photo Credits: Style.com


Entry into the world of the luxury fashion industry is to me like trying to enter an elite club. If you don’t have the right credentials you either won’t be accepted or you won’t be allowed to remain for long. Sometimes, when people knock on a door even if they are celebrities the door does not open. This analogy is certainly true of celebrities whom try to gain acceptance into the elite world of luxury apparel design. If they want to have staying power as a member they must demonstrate to fashion editors, writers and a slew of other fashion elites that they intend to make fashion design their career. Otherwise, they risk being perceived as someone who dabbles in this or that but can not be taken seriously.

I suspect that this is the reason Sweetface, the high-end line launched by Jennifer Lopez, was never really accepted by fashion insiders as a luxury line. Jennifer Lopez, in my opinion, has an Energizer bunny outlook on life for sure. She sings, she dances, she acts and she judges talent. My goodness, I am exhausted just listing all of her ongoing achievements. I wonder if fashion insiders did not take her brand, Sweetface, as seriously as she deserved because of a belief that she was just another celebrity trying to get into their elite designer club without giving her full attention to the craft of designing luxury apparel.

 Fall RTW Look (Old); Source




Fall RTW Look  (Old); Source

I believe that this mentality has resulted in an uphill battle for celebrities whom start their own fashion lines. History seems to support this. Celebrities whom either temporarily or permanently sideline their acting or music careers to attend to the development of their high-end fashion lines appear to have more success than those who don’t. There are, of course, celebrities whom have defied these odds by managing to have a successful entertainment career and fashion career; however, the number of celebrities whom are able to do so is few and far between. Those who are able to do so appear to be able to manage both careers so successfully because they are savvy enough to have a shrewd and talented design partner and head designer.

For every extinct celebrity brand, however, there are others that have flourished. L.A.M.B., Gwen Stefani’s brand has maintained its fashion cache at a steady pace since its launch. Reviews have generally been mixed since the launch of the brand but one thing that has been universally agreed upon is that Gwen Stefani has remained true to her personal aesthetic. You can always envision her wearing the clothes she designs. Perhaps, this is the reason she has been so successful. The success of L.A.M.B. seems to prove again that in order to have a sustainable career as a fashion designer a celebrity must prove to the fashion world that they are so serious about pursuing the art of fashion design that they will make it the center point of their career. Gwen Stefani, for example, took several years off from creating music with the band No Doubt to focus on developing her fashion brand. The songstress may have been given more props because she set her music career aside to attend to her brand (and of course to start a family).

Fall 2014 RTW Look; Source

Fall 2014 RTW Look; Source

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, founders of arguably one of the most successful celebrity luxury brands, have proven their mettle in the fashion industry with their lines, Elizabeth and James and The Row. Their brands are lauded as consistently commercial, super refined and are widely worn by other celebrities. When celebrities wear your clothes that is a sure sign that you have been accepted as a legitimate fashion designer. So eager were the Olsens to start their fashion careers that they left school early to do so. Obtaining a degree from a storied design school is the best route to success in most cases but they bucked the trend. This duo exhibited a zealousness for apparel design that fashion elites just could not turn away from; particularly, after they demonstrated by their immediacy in starting their line that they were completely devoted to all things fashion.

Like the Olsens, fashion doors have also opened to Victoria Beckham. She seems to have, by sure will and a knack for recognizing what classic style really means to have ensured the door was opened wide and with a smile for her. Her fashion house is growing in spades with talk of a possible menswear line. Is there anything this woman can not accomplish in the world of fashion? She seems to have gone from the pop world to the fashion world in warp speed but it is apparent that her dedication to her craft has made her a fashion designer that has earned the respect of the fashion sartorialists.

Fall 2014 RTW Look; Source

Fall 2014 RTW Look; Source

Earlier I mentioned that there was an exception to what seems to be a requirement to focus only on a fashion career. The exception is the clothing line, Edun, founded by rock star Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson. This luxury brand has successfully stayed the course while Bono maintained his music career. It has been extremely beneficial, of course, for them to consistently have a strong head designer to capably oversee the creation of garments. It is apparent that their goal to support the trade industry in Africa as well as to contribute to the creation of jobs in that country has always remained at the forefront. As a result of their relationships with talented individuals in Africa this brand is synonymous with creating fashion-forward textiles which are in turn used to create the garments in their collections. The brands experimentation with textures may be the reason they have garnered so much admiration from their fashion industry peers.

Fall 2014 RTW Look; Source


Fall 2014 RTW Look; Source

Who do you think is the most successful celebrity designer or co-founder of luxury apparel and accessories?

Thanks for reading my post. I hope you have a great week.

Please contact me at sharon_pate@att.net if interested in a partnership or online personal styling session.

39 comments:

  1. For me definitely Victoria Beckham.
    Lovely post!
    x
    Sandra

    www.morestylethanfashion.com

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    1. Thank you, Sandra. I appreciate your visit and comment.

      Sharon

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  2. Thanks Sharon for posting this. I enjoy reading more about celebrity designers. I am a fan of The Row and Victoria Beckham. Also, thanks sharing Edun. It's new discovery for me. I am glad to know that the brand incorporates some element of goodwill.

    robesandgarments.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment. Edun really does deserve so much more recognition for incorporating goodwill into their brand.

      Sharon

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  3. Thanks for leaving such a lovely comment on my blog The B Team! Your blog is really interesting and you're very knowledgeable about fashion, I think I can learn a lot from you I'm following you now on GFC and Bloglovin' :) x

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    1. Thank you, Robin. I really appreciate your compliment. I am preparing to follow you back.

      Sharon

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  4. Enrich content! Lots of essential clues of searching perfect post to put comments and increasing the rank. Thank you so very much for a huge cooperation by putting a big list of it.
    Top Ten Web Hosting Revi5ews

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  5. I think the two artist to really be accepted it into the high end fashion game is Victoria Beckham and Gwen Stefani. you can tell its their personal style and not just some licensing deal. On the lower scale you have Jessica Simpson's fashion empire. Kanye West is having that issue of breaking into the fashion world right now. But I think his issue is he tries to run before he can walk. He's inpatient. As far as others that entered the fashion game only to be gone in 60 secs, it wasn't about their love of fashion. More so about the money and someone saying, "Hey you have great style you should start your own clothing line." Forgetting that most celebs don't style themselves. Their stylist does! I loved the SweetFace line by JLo btw. A lot of them back out when they find out how much money it takes to actually start a clothing line. Look at how many people have won on Project Runway...where are they now? It's crazy expensive and that little $250,000 they win barely buys the fabric for the line. Kanye claims to have spent $35 mil of his own money so far to get his women's line off the ground and we still haven't seen it in stores. Just on runway models. *shrugs*

    www.BoujeeandBroke.com

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    1. Thank you for commenting about this post. You are well versed about this topic. As a consequence, I truly value your insight and participation. I hope you continue to visit so that we can stay in touch.

      Sharon

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  7. What an excellent post! To me it is Victoria Beckham!

    Thank you for your nice comment on my blog! <3

    Diana
    www.ManhattanImageandStyle.com / www.MISBoutique.storenvy.com
    New Post: [Outfit Idea] Craving Spring
    Previews Post: [Personal Growth] How To Find Purpose and Monetize Your Passion

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    1. Thank you, Diana, for stopping by and leaving a comment.

      Sharon

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  8. I really enjoyed this post a lot. Very informative and beautifully written :D

    -Jessica
    www.unrestrictedchic.com

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    1. Thank you, Jessica. I am glad you enjoyed it.

      Sharon

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    1. Thanks so much, Gail, for visiting my blog and leaving a comment.

      Sharon

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  10. Love this post! I totally agree with you, it's very difficult for celebrities to prove that they are taking it seriously. For me Victoria Beckham is the most successful, just because she is really takibg it seriously and you can see her in her designs. It's really important for me to see that their designs reflect themselves, after all this is what makes them unique.
    Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and for your lovely comment! I would love to follow each other, just followed you via GFC and Bloglovin.x Would love to hear your thoughts on my latest post. Have a lovely weekend!
    xxxx
    Stephanie
    vidathings.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Stephanie:

      Thank you for visiting. I really appreciate the time you took to provide such a detailed comment. I am glad you enjoyed reading this post. I have read your recent blog post and am so happy I discovered a great blog to follow. I followed you on GFC and Bloglovin.

      Sharon

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  11. I think there is no denying MK+ Ashley success broke barriers in the fashion industry, they are by far my favs....following you on bloglovin great blog

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    1. Thank you, Cara. I appreciate your visit and comment. I have visited your blog in the past and have always enjoyed reading your posts. I will follow you back.

      Sharon

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  12. Thanks, Viktoria, for your visit and comment. I really appreciate it.

    Sharon

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  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. I really enjoyed reading your post! Some of these brands such as Sweetface I forgot about. I can recall watching her show during Fashion Week and thinking to myself that I could see these garments in Macy's. I think sometimes celebrities want to wear different hats in efforts to expand their portfolio. However, one of the key elements to a successful brand is understanding your target customer. A name can get you in the door, but if you do not have a product that is of value most people will not be interested. Can't wait to read your next post.
      -Crystal
      https://www.fashionlisticallyspeaking.blogspot.com

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    2. Thanks, Crystal, for your insightful comment. I so agree that Sweetface did not really standout as a luxury fashion brand. Victoria Beckham and the Olsens really were diligent in making sure they put in the work to make their lines standout. I am so glad you enjoyed this post.

      Sharon

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  15. Reneta:

    Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. I visited your blog and was really impressed with it. I would enjoy following each other. I have followed you on GFC, Facebook and Bloglovin. My Facebook page is associated with farfetchedbysp instead of my blog name. I hope you can follow me back on the same sites. I look forward to staying in touch.

    Sharon

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  16. Ciao Sharon! Thanks for visiting TruccatiConEva!
    Your blog is very very beautyful and elegant!
    I'll follow you on G+ and Bloglovin!!!

    TruccatiConEva

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    1. Hello, Eva:

      Thanks for the compliment. I really like your blog as well. I have followed you back on Bloglovin and will follow you also on GFC.

      Sharon

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  17. Great Post! One celebrity label that I wouldn't forget is the Jessica Simpson Empire. She may not be the designer of each of the entities but she and her team built a strong successful brand.

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    1. She is a great mass merchandise designer. I only included designers of couture apparel and accessories because that is the focus of my post; however, I have the utmost admiration for what Jessica Simpson has accomplished. Thanks so much for your insight. I always appreciate your comment. Thanks for being a consistent commenter. As a fan of your blog, I always value and look forward to your input.

      Sharon





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  18. Hello, Nery: Thanks for visiting and for leaving a comment. I am so pleased that you enjoyed reading this post.

    Sharon

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  19. I would agree with the comment above and add Jessica Simpson to the list. Her line of shoes is pretty amazing to me.

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    1. Brandi: Absolutely. Jessica Simpson is undoubtedly a successful designer of mass merchandise clothing. Unlike the designers my post focused on her clothing and accessories are budget-friendly. I admire her for making sure many women can afford to purchase items from her line. Thanks so much for your comment.

      Sharon

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  20. In my opinion Victoria Beckam deserves the success in fashion business more than Jennifer Lopez and Katie Holmes. Not only because the fashion elite welcomed her, but especially because customers did it.
    Great post, Sharon, as always! :)
    Oriana xxx

    www.stylexis.com

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    1. Thanks so much for your insight into this topic, Oriana. Your comments are always welcome and appreciated.

      Sharon

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  21. it's difficult to make the first steps in the world of fashion, there so many talented young designers without lines or money. There are working a years for the big fish to make the name in this fashion world. That is why I can understand, because after the years of hard working they don't exept the "designers" like Katie or Jen...
    Hugs, Xenia

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    1. Great comment, Xenia. You brought another perspective to this topic. Thanks so much for your insightful input.

      Sharon

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  22. Such a lovely post! I love this style of clothing! Thanks for the lovely comment on my blog!

    XoXo
    Teresa
    www.chicaffordable.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi, Teresa: Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. I really appreciate it.

      Sharon

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