These days it seems that every celebrity you could possibly think of has a clothing line – usually a so-called collaboration with a high street store as a means of endorsing each other. We’re thinking Ariana Grande for Lipsy, Kendall and Kylie for PacSun, etc. The list goes on. The communication between the celebrity and the brand is seemingly minimal, and though the line may ‘reflect’ their style, the name that appears alongside the label most likely hasn’t had a great creative input in the process.
There is, however, a new brand of celebrity lines emerging: the celebrity-come-fashion designer. These are the music stars, actresses and models that have altered or furthered their careers by creating their own label instead of adding to a pre-existing brand. They seem more legitimate as they are embraced by esteemed fashion designers, editors and magazines, and they are less easily attainable. So here we’re rounding up the celebrity names you’re most likely to have heard have successfully branched out into the world of high fashion.
Kanye West // Yeezy
The first thought to come to our minds when Kanye proudly declared that he is currently $53 million in debt: how? With two hugely successful seasons of Yeezy, the last being controversial but widely talked about, Kanye seems to (surprisingly) be making a name for himself in the fashion world. Season 3 was his most elaborate show yet, from renting out Madison Square Garden, to having guests and models such as Naomi Campbell, the whole Kardashian clan, and even Anna Wintour. With these. alongside collaborations with Adidas and Balmain, Yeezus has certainly cemented himself in high fashion, with Season 4 already underway.
But what about the actual clothes? Seasons 1 and 2 were pretty much identical, consisting of either excessively tight or baggy nude ‘basics’, and Season 3 continuing the style whilst branching out to a greater variety of colours. But with prices of up to $2600 for the ‘destroyed sweatshirt’, it seems more than a little bit ridiculous.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen // The ROW
In 2006, the Olsen twins took a well-deserved break from acting and established their own fashion line, The ROW (named after Savile Row). Like Yeezy, The ROW has been embraced by the fashion world and has received acclaim from Vogue and Elle, to name just two.
With famously extortionately expensive collections, the brand is very high fashion, despite Mary-Kate’s permanent homeless look. The quality of the products is excellent, and the clothes themselves are chic, sophisticated and womanly. They fit in with the trends in the other shows in fashion week, showing the twins’ hard work and knowledge of the industry. So if you can afford the more than $1000 price tag, these clothes might be worth the investment.
Kate Hudson // Fabletics
Technically not high fashion, but more than simply a clothing line on the high street, Kate Hudson co-founded Fabletics in 2013 to unite both looking and feeling good, creating clothing that ‘inspires you to stay active’. The website offers fun workout clothes according to what sort of exercise you’re doing, and also has a membership programme which offers workout routines and advice. Being so outspoken about her passion for exercise, with the evidence in her fantastic body, it’s hardly surprising that Kate decided to extend her career into designing sportswear.
The active wear has been featured in both fashion and fitness magazines, which implies that the clothes actually work as well as they look. They’re also priced to be very affordable, with discounts of up to half price on the majority of the items. Definitely worth looking into if you’re into exercise or thinking about taking up something new.
Whilst the cost of celebrity high fashion such as Yeezy and The ROW seem very overpriced, there’s no doubt that there is probably more worth in them than in the lines that are sold at high street shops as they are much more involved in all the processes. What do you think about celebrity fashion brands? Just tacky or are some actually worth investing in?
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