From Beyonce’s attempt to mimic high-end couture affordably with ‘House of Dereon’ to Nelly catering to voluptuous backsides with ‘Apple Bottoms’, we’ve seen more and more entertainers add ‘designer’ to their portfolio. Now actress Gabrielle Union is dabbling in fashion with her new clothing line, ‘Love & Blessings by Gabrielle’. The line inspired by the actress’ curvaceous sister, will cater to women of all sizes. While no exact dates for the launch have been set, there are talks of an HSN, or QVC product line.
With the semi-overload of entertainers turned designers, what are the odds of Gabrielle Union’s line becoming successful? Well, if she follows the blueprint of some of the other musicians and actors before her, the odds may not be so bad. With annual revenues in the millions, if you thought these celebrity brands were only worn as hand-me downs (or was that just me?), think again. Many of these brands have become extremely successful, with some even debuting in one of fashion’s most prominent shows, New York Fashion Week.
From Diddy to Justin Timberlake, find out how successful some of these entertainers turned desingers have been.
Beyonce House of Dereon – The House of Dereon is inspired by three generations of Knowles, Beyoncé, her mother Tina Knowles and grandmother Agnèz Dereon. The line attempts to provide fashionistas with affordable clothes with ‘couture designs’. In 2009, Beyoncé earned 87 million in revenue and a large part of it was accumulated from House of Dereon Sales.
Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs Sean John- From clothing to cologne, Diddy started Sean John in 1998 and has seen revenue of $100 million annually since its launch. One of the only entertainers turned designers to be featured in Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, Diddy has also dabbled in the investment of fashion as he has also invested in high end/seasoned designer, Zac Posen.
Nelly Apple Bottoms – Recently on a heavy promotion trail for Apple Bottoms’ newest collections, Nelly launched the denim brand in 2003. Initially started as a denim only line, the urban brand has expanded to women accessories; and in 2004, the brand projected $50 million in revenue.
Justin Timberlake William Rast – The “HotBack” hitmaker launched the William Rast line with his childhood friend Trace Ayala in 2005 and the pair has recently partnered with Target bosses to debut a special range for customers later this year.
Gwen Stefani L.A.M.B– In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, drawing inspiration from Japanes culture and fashion. If the singer’s clothes don’t win you over, many of her shoes are surprisingly a fashionista’s dream. Stefani’s brand has been featured in numerous New York & Paris Fashion Weeks.
Kimora Lee Baby Phat– As a former runway model, Kimora Lee definitely knew about fashion before launching Baby Phat with ex-husband Russell Simmons. Although Kimora recently stepped down from her position as Creative Director, her tenure proved to generate over $980 million in revenue for the urban brand.
