Celebrity Style. The Celeb Designer Juggernaut Continues

Lauren Conrad Dana Dress $115

Sadly to those of us who truly love fashion, it appears the craze for celebrity apparel deals has picked up steam — despite a track record filled with missteps and few lines that have had any consistent, long-term success. Many new agreements have been announced, and some are in the works as vendors and retailers look to build buzz any way they can.

In the past month alone, Avril Lavigne has signed a deal with Kohl's Corp., Rachel Bilson introduced a line with DKNY Jeans, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz said he's designing a collection for Nordstrom and even TV personality Kelly Ripa is venturing into activewear design with Ryka, according to an article in today's WWD.

Industry insiders said the celebrity-as-designer phenomenon (which WWD has dubbed the "delebrity") is alive and well — and pointed to stars ranging from Fergie to America Ferrera and Hayden Panettiere as prime for deals of their own. Even cracked-out Amy Winehouse could be a possibility — proving once again that controversy sells.

With retailers and vendors increasingly looking for exclusive lines to gain a competitive edge, these collections can be a win-win.Besides, the stars need the cash. Music sales are tumbling, and the writers' strike earlier this year left many actresses looking for ways to bolster their suddenly reduced incomes.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

The new crop would be joining the explosion of music and Hollywood stars who became designers several years ago — with mixed success. Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé Knowles and Gwen Stefani were among the first, but in no time, everyone from A- to Z-listers were turning themselves into clothing and beauty brands. Today, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have a multitier business, encompassing everything from sportswear to area rugs as part of their more than $1 billion empire; Justin Timberlake has a Southern-inspired contemporary sportswear line William Rast; Jessica Simpson has shoes, bags and outerwear; Pamela Anderson has lingerie; actress Jaime Pressly launched a line of contemporary sportswear; Hilary Duff has sportswear and accessories; Sarah Jessica Parker and Amanda Bynes both have deals with Steve & Barry's; Victoria Beckham and Sheryl Crow have denim lines; Sienna Miller has Twenty8Twelve by S. Miller, a contemporary collection, with her sister Savannah; Kate Moss has a Topshop line; "The Hills" star Lauren Conrad has contemporary sportswear; Heidi Montag, also from "The Hills," has a collection with California retail chain Anchor Blue called Heidiwood, and even celebutante and reality TV star Kim Kardashian has a collection in the works.

Oh and let's not forget about fragrance! Lopez, Celine Dion, the Beckhams, Moss, Stefani and, most recently, Halle Berry all signed deals with Coty Inc. for scents. Reese Witherspoon signed a fragrance deal with Avon and Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Timberlake, Sarah Jessica Parker, Usher and Sean "Diddy" Combs are only a few of the other famous names who have fragrance deals.

But for each success, there has been a celebrity brand that failed to take off — or that flared and then flickered rapidly. Jennifer Lopez' collection has gone through numerous iterations; Beyoncé's House of Deréon line had a slow start; Eve's Fetish collection never succeeded and Diddy's women's line never really got off the ground.

Twenty8Twelve Aura Strapless Mini Dress

Michael Stone, president and chief executive officer of the Beanstalk Group, a brand-licensing agency that works with celebrities such as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Paris Hilton, agreed there has been a renewed explosion in celebrity deals.

"Retailers are hungry for more," Stone said. "I'm sure there will be some failures. The key is that in order for them to survive, there has to be longevity in the celebrity; the retailer has to be able to see a future for the brand."

Julia Hearst, divisional director for contemporary women's wear at Holt Renfrew, said that while she does sell a number of celebrity brands such as Kate Moss for Topshop, Lauren Conrad and Elizabeth & James (the contemporary line from the Olsen twins), it's the product that sells, not the name. She said that when she looks at a new celebrity brand, she looks at it as she would any new brand—— a possible new resource for the selling floor.

"A celebrity name means absolutely nothing to us," she said. "It's about the quality and style. That is what inspires us to buy. Product always comes first and the brand name comes second. There are a lot of celebrity brands out there that we wouldn't go anywhere near because they don't match our fashion direction."

Fraser Ross, owner of the Los Angeles-based Kitson stores, said his number-one issue with celebrity clothing lines is the lack of participation from the celebrities. "There has to be more support for their retailers. The celebrity has to be 100% involved with their own line and they have to be willing to support the retailers who are selling it. Having a clothing line should be treated by them as no different than selling an album or promoting a movie," he said. "I'm fighting right now with Victoria Beckham's people because she lives here in L.A., we sell her line and she won't come in here to do an appearance.

Personally, I can't bring myself to ever buy a celebrity item of clothing. I just can't cross that threshold. Even if I loved the item, I  respect the fashion industry too much. Even if they don't respect me as a consumer.

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