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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
