Throughout previous years, a variety of celebrities have set high standards within the fashion industry as they have released their individual collections and have been expanding their brands while marketing to their fan base in a variety of ways. Amongst the many celebrities that have put forth their power and style to build brands that have taken strides are, Beyoncé, Jlo, Rihanna, Thalia Sodi, Jessica Simpson, Gwen Stefani and Victoria Beckham. These seven individuals have each undergone unique experiences within the world of fashion throughout the entirety of their careers. Some of them are still putting out new collections and advertising their new ideas of what they will create in the near future within each of their own brands.
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé’s fashion career began back in 2006 when she launched her brand Deréon, which did extremely well and still very well known today. Her objective for Deréon was to create a brand that women of all shapes and sizes would be able to wear “where the sidewalk and the catwalk meet”. Beyoncé has carried over this same objective to her most recent line Ivy Park, which she officially launched in April of 2016. The collection was made available both in stores and on the brand’s website. Ivy Park is made up of high quality “athleisure” wear and is a 200-piece collection including tops, bottoms, swimwear and even accessories. Beyoncé explained that her overall goal with Ivy Park was to “push the boundaries of athletic wear and support and inspire women who understand that beauty is more than your physical appearance”. Each item ranges from about $30 to $100 and is available both online on the brand’s original website and in stores such as, Topshop, Nordstrom, Zalando, Selfridges, JD Sports, Net-a-Porter, Hudson’s Bay, Zalora, Namshi, The Iconic, Glue and Meyer.
Jessica Simpson
Another star who has recently come out with the release of her popular athleisure line is Jessica Simpson. Jessica Simpson’s athletic wear brand is called The Warm Up and was exclusively launched at Macy’s in 2015. The Warm Up includes many affordable items that range from $24 to $49. The Warm Up also includes a 21-piece collection for plus sized women. Even though Jessica Simpson has really made a name for herself recently in the fashion world with the release of The Warm Up, Simpson’s initial introduction to a career in fashion design actually began much earlier with The Jessica Simpson Collection. The Jessica Simpson Collection initially started up in 2006 as a shoe collaboration with Vince Camuto, who is the co-founder of Nine West. As of 2010, Jessica Simpson’s now expanded brand is being carried in approximately 650 department stores across the United States. Jessica Simpson’s initial goal with her line was to create a variety of piece that would be able to reflect upon the theme of “Modern Americana”. Jessica Simpson describes The Jessica Simpson Collection as being “iconic, fashion-forward, accessible, comfortable, timeless and affordable”. The collection includes items such as footwear, outerwear, sunglasses, optical frames, handbags, handbag accessories, swimwear, perfumes, belts, legwear, scarves, hats, wraps, jewelry, intimates, slippers, luggage, dresses, jeans wear and sportswear.
Jennifer Lopez
In 2010, Jennifer Lopez co-founded the Jennifer Lopez Collection along with her then-husband, Marc Anthony. In the United States, the couple’s collection is exclusively sold at Kohl’s department stores and on Kohl’s website. The line is also sold in a department store called Coppel in Mexico and includes items such as sportswear, dresses, handbags, jewelry, shoes, sleepwear, bedding and towels. The Jennifer Lopez Collection is an American lifestyle brand that originally was the result of a landed partnership with Kohl’s. The collection also named Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony the first couple to simultaneously design collections for one retailer. However, once Lopez and Anthony split, the brand was then split up into two separate brands, becoming the Jennifer Lopez Collection and the Marc Anthony Collection. The marc Anthony Collection includes items such as, sportswear, dress shirts, neckwear, accessories, suit separates, sports coats and shoes.
Rihanna
Rihanna’s role in the fashion world has been a great success for her. After collaborating with River Island back in 2013, she partnered with Puma for the first time in 2016, which took the German company to a whole new level. Rihanna explained that she ultimately “wanted to take Puma to a new place with something unpredictable and unexpected”. The collection FENTY x PUMA resembles Rihanna’s independent approach to both music and fashion as well as her love of Japanese street culture and the sport-driven designs of Puma. The collaboration between Rihanna and Puma was so successful that Rihanna’s FENTY Creeper shoe, which ended up selling out within hours, won Footwear News’ Shoe of the Year award. Recently, Rihanna’s own makeup line, Fenty Beauty, has been in the works. The beauty line has been a hot topic of discussion since 2015. It has been revealed that the official release date for the cosmetics line will be during the fall of 2017. Rihanna is reaching a global market with her beauty products and will be having her products sold primarily in Sephora.
Thalia Sodi
Thalia Sodi, Latin superstar, teamed up with Macy’s department store in 2015 in the midst of creating her own collection of apparel, shoes and jewelry, which are all sold below the price of $100. Sodi stated that this collection was “a big effort to create something amazing for the Latinas out there”. Sodi’s main objective for her collection was to make sure that each item to have an upbeat vibe to it. “We need to give light to this world. We need to show the positive side of humanity. That’s why I always try to emphasize the good side of life whether it’s in my collection or my music; it’s my motto”, says Sodi. Another important factor for Sodi as far as her collection is for women to feel free when wearing her clothing. She wants every item that she produces to truly feel comfortable to wear.
Gwen Stefani
In 2004, Gwen Stefani launched L.A.M.B., her fashion brand that was influenced by Guatemalan, Japanese and Jamaican fashion. L.A.M.B. has been popular amongst several celebrities such as Teri Hatcher and Nicole Kidman. Gwen Stefani recently launched a L.A.M.B. eyewear collection, which includes unique designs of all her dream glasses and will be partnering with New York Fashion Week as well as Los Angeles Fashion Week. Stefani’s L.A.M.B. eyewear includes both optical glasses and sunglasses. With this collection, Gwen Stefani made her eyewear stand out from hot pink frames to modern two-tones and bold black & white patterns. Later, in 2005, Stefani expanded her collection with her Harajuku Lovers line, which included products such as, cameras, portable phone charms and undergarments. Gwen Stefani’s experience with fashion comes from creating most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, the band for which she is lead vocalist and that she also co-founded.
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham has toyed with the idea of breaking into the fashion industry throughout the entirety of her career. After releasing her dvb Denim collection in New York at Saks Fifth Avenue in 2004, Victoria Beckham officially launched her own fashion label in 2005. Known originally for its dresses, Victoria Beckham’s brand has expanded to selling handbags at up to 18,000 pound. The success of Beckham’s career in the fashion industry was evident as she won the Designer Brand of the Year award at the 2011 British Fashion Awards. As far as what is in the works for Victoria Beckham at the moment, she has recently announced a brand new partnership with Target. Victoria Beckham for Target will not only provide over 200 pieces for women, but also for children. Designing clothing for children is a first for Victoria Beckham as a designer, but is something that she has always wanted to try to do and she has stated on multiple occasions that this is something she has been very excited about. The collection will be available from April 9, 2017 through April 30, 2017, or while supplies last. The purpose of this partnership is for Victoria Beckham’s to fulfill her goal of creating clothing for the customer who desires high-quality clothing without the designer prices.
