In the wake of H&M’s much talked about partnership with singer/documentary-filmmaker/mom/ruler of the world Beyoncé, we take a look at the best and most regrettable celebrity collaborations with the world’s biggest retailers and designers.
Beyoncé a.k.a. Blue Ivy’s mama, debuted her ad campaign, "Beyoncé as Mrs. Carter in H&M” to a lot of hype. We just hope the collection, which Beyoncé helped design, doesn’t suffer the same fate as her House of Dereon venture, which has seen a sharp fall in sales and the departure (and firing) of several key employees.
On that note, let's turn our attention to several really poor marketing decisions that resulted in some embarrassing celebrity fashion collaborations.
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One of the worst in recent history has to be Lindsay Lohan's collaboration with French fashion house, Ungaro. Who uses Lindsay Lohan, an actress who has been struggling to revive her own career, to revive a brand? In any case, the heart motif-themed runway show in 2009 was the laughing stock of Paris Fashion Week and we can only assume the money she earned on that job went straight to her legal bills.
Canadian singer Avril Lavigne’s line, Abbey Dawn for Kohl’s was also a resounding failure and was pulled from store shelves in 2008. We don’t blame them. The only one who can pull off a skull print is Alexander McQueen. Sorry Avril.
Reality show stars also try to grab quick cash.
"The Hills" star Heidi Montag tried to launch a successful clothing line but failed. Montag's line, Heidiwood, was hilariously put to the test by editors at New York magazine's style site The Cut, who reported:
"Paper-thin tanks for $27? Flimsy, panty-line-molesting dresses at nearly 40 bucks? Sure, that's a steal compared to Marc Jacobs, but not far enough removed from what you'd pay at the Gap for something that's at least 100 percent cotton and unlikely to give you a rash."
Not even A-list name recognition and a link to the stylish Carrie Bradshaw can help sell clothes.
Sarah Jessica Parker’s two fashion ventures bombed when the "Sex and the City" star's much-anticipated line, “Bitten” faired poorly and her appointment as Chief Creative Officer for Halston Heritage was also oddly short-lived.
But not every celeb-designer collaboration is a disaster.
Kate Moss for Topshop succeeded where many bigger celebrities have not. The top model created 14 collections for the UK retailer over the course of three years until the partnership came to an end in 2010. (However, there are rumblings that her best-selling collections may be returning.) Kate's signature effortless rocker chic look was emulated in many of the designs to the delight of her fans.
Another style icon, "Big Love" actress Chloe Sevigny, partnered with Opening Ceremony, producing a grunge-inspired line that was highly coveted and reminiscent of her own offbeat style. Think free spirited '60s teenager and you have the gist of the line.
It seems that retailers are always on the hunt for their next celebrity designer/spokesperson and while many have failed, H&M hasn’t made a big misstep yet. Their campaigns with singer Lana Del Rey and soccer babe David Beckham were a big hit although neither celeb designed the clothes.
We’ll give relatively new partnerships, like Rihanna’s collection with River Island and Sofia Vergara’s line with Kmart some more time to win our hearts before we judge them as flops.