License Magazine - August 2007 - (Page 45) OUTLOOK ’08 | CELEBRITY BRANDING “innovator” and notes its early affiliation with Graves. “This brought design to the mass market and changed the way people think about it,” she says. “This trend has been going on for a while, but is definitely proliferating,” says Deke Jamieson, senior vice president, marketing and licensing for Dollhouse, which recently partnered with Paris Hilton for an apparel collection. “Everyone is looking for a way to differentiate,” adds Jamieson. Pao argues that the “celebrity-asdesigner” trend is getting maxed out. “Most celebrities are locked up in terms of licensing their names, and celebrity partnerships are becoming more difficult.” Pao believes generating revenue is a key motivator for fashion designers who are exploring this concept. She suggests Michael Graves sparked the trend with the launch of his home collection for Target, but credits Isaac Mizrahi, whose collaboration she believes solidified the success of this concept and provided legitimacy for other designers to follow suit. “Vera Wang’s collaboration with Kohl’s is a way for her to help fund her ‘ready-to-wear’ day and evening collections,” believes Pao, who notes that Wang quickly realized that R&D costs per season required a $10 million dollar commitment. “The licensing revenues generated from her line for Kohl’s will provide resources to fund this R&D effort while Kohl’s is hoping to bring its image to a more upscale level by bringing in Wang. The danger is that Kohl’s is looking at Vera Wang as its design director. While she’s a great designer, I am not sure if her designs will appeal to the Kohl’s customer.” Successful Strategies Dollhouse’s Jamieson warns that celebrity licensing can be risky if not met with success. He cites two must-have components when considering a celebrity partnership. First, the celebrity must be high profile and able to draw traffic. “Everybody is curious about what Paris is doing and that curiosity factor is huge with retailers,” says Jamieson. Second, celebrities should be prepared to market the product. Hilton regularly promotes her apparel collection (which launches this month) through entertainment magazines, and will be making appearances this fall. Pao agrees. “The key to success are those celebrities who are involved with and use the products they create. Gwen Stefani wears pieces from her L.A.M.B line, thereby contributing to its success. In contrast, the limited success of House of Dereon can be attributed to its creator Beyoncé Knowles, who doesn’t wear the line.” Executives warn that this strategy won’t work if the celebrity simply lends her name out. Apparently Hilton is intricately involved in product development and works with the Dollhouse team nearly every day. She also creates inspiration boards to help the design team. “Retailers really appreciate that we capture the essence of Paris—from the logo to the delivery,” says Jamieson. Although Steve & Barry’s declined to comment on its agreement with Sarah Jessica Parker, Pao reports that Parker is highly involved in every aspect of her licensing. “She personally oversees the development of all of her fragrance brands and reviews weekly sales reports. In fact, when she saw that one door in Florida was not performing, she asked about doing a personal appearance to promote sell-through,” says Pao. This summer, H&M paid tribute to pop princess and style icon Kylie Minogue by designing a line of beachwear with Kylie as a muse. Designer Partnerships This fall marks the introduction of several designers and celebrity partnerships. License! Global offers the scoop on the latest. • Brooks Brothers partnered with menswear designer Thom Browne for a 50-piece collection that will debut this fall • Italian designer Roberto Cavalli will introduce a collection at H&M in November • Vera Wang will unveil a collection of apparel, accessories, and home products at Kohl’s this fall • Lela Rose for Payless and Abaete for Payless will debut this fall • JCPenney offers a less expensive and exclusive Nicole Miller branded collection • Steve & Barry’s recently teamed up with fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker for the launch of the Bitten label, as well as actress Amanda Bynes “Kylie was very enthusiastic about communicating what she likes to wear and showed us visual references like her ’60s vintage bathing suit, which inspired the halter neck costume,” says Margareta van den Bosch, H&M’s head of design. Hilton, who is widely noted for her “heirhead” antics, apparently has a “business side” and presented to senior management at Macy’s West. Many executives don’t believe this trend has impacted the booming couture market. “Democratic design offers couture designers economic freedom, which is why there is such receptivity to sign licensing deals,” concludes Pao.© August 2007 www.licensemag.com 45 http://www.licensemag.com
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