We are just so sick of celebrity fashion lines.
Unreasonably famous person Jessica Simpson is planning to launch a new jeanswear line under her own name in partnership with Jones Apparel Group, which also owns brands like Jones New York, Nine West and Anne Klein.
The new collection features everything a Jessica Simpson girl could want, from jeggings to flares to skinnies and will be available in 700 stores come fall. It harks back to Simpson’s first attempt at denim and apparel, which was shuttered after then-owner JS Brand Management claimed that Simpson failed to promote the label. This time around, she seems keen on making it work, telling WWD: “I was inspired to create a great denim line that complements the entire Jessica Simpson lifestyle brand — a jean that becomes a girl’s best friend, that everyday go-to pair.”
Business-wise, it makes sense that Jones was willing to partially back this venture. Simpson’s handbag and shoe collection is a big hit, generating $400 million in sales in 2009. It has even received quite a bit of attention from the mainstream fashion press, including publications like InStyle and People StyleWatch.
However, it doesn’t muffle the fact that there are hundreds of super-talented designers out there struggling to stay afloat, while a has-been reality TV star continues to hoard the style spotlight.
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*has even gotTEN quite a bit of attention.
uh..it’s not that the celebs are ‘hoarding’ the spotlight so much that consumers want to buy products with a famous name attached to them. it’s just a smart business strategy, esp. given that her accessories line is HUGE and the top-seller in many of the biggest doors in this country. i highly doubt that jones apparel could tap some unknown but talented designer and generate anywhere NEAR that volume of sales.
Better her than someone like, say, LiLo or Paris Hilton.
Agree with #2. Artistic integrity comes in a distant second to $$$$$$.
voguedissent.blogspot.com
#2, you’re totally right. And I say that in the story–for Jones, it makes sense financially. But who is buying this stuff? Who WANTS to dress like Jessica Simpson–that’s what I want to know, it’s more of a consumer psychology thing.
adding on to #2, the editors of this site seem to forget that the majority of fashion retail sales are not some combination of designers who show during fashion week and hipster-approved mass retailers like topshop and target. take a walk through the garment district (or even a mall) and you’ll know what i mean.
I’m in no way a Jessica Simpson fan, but I think calling her a “has-been reality TV star” is kind of unfair — she was a singer first. I mean, this may be splitting hairs, but in my mind having some modicum of talent elevates her to slightly above “reality TV has-been” status.
#5–I get that RETAIL is about mass market, not fashion. However, it still doesn’t explain why the majority of Americans have bad taste. With an ever-growing mainstream interest in fashion and design, you have to wonder why most people still don’t get it.
I think people are missing the point here; Lauren isn’t denying that most people want to dress like mall trash, she’s lamenting the fact.
I’m not gonna lie, I loathe celebrity lines too. However, of ALL the garbage out there, Jessica Simpson’s is by far one of the most successful. From her handbags to her shoes, people DO buy what she puts out. And the funny thing is, the stuff isn’t always that cute and it DEFINITELY isn’t fashion forward. But, luckily for Jessica, she hit a major target market and is seeing a major profit from that. Quite honestly, I was wondering when she WOULD actually come out with another line…..jeans just seem to be an obvious progression in my opinion and I personally think they’ll do quite well (without my patronage, of course).
Lauren,
I’m surprised by your “Who WANTS to buy this?” attitude. Yes, interest in fashion is growing, but if you think America is going to turn into a completely design-savvy country anytime soon… you’re going to continue having a lot to lament.
Seriously — this is like asking, “WHO would vote for Sarah Palin?” Some things you can’t explain. People are who they are, they like what they like, for whatever reasons. So people like Jessica Simpsons products, fine. It may not be good taste by your/my standards, but… bottom line… not everyone has good taste. That’s all you can really say; you can’t really expect to determine WHY people lack good taste — it’s a rhetorical question.
Mass consumers love what they can relate to. Jessica is the perfect example: Fat (check), Divorce/heartbreak (check)- Fashion is not about either of these subjects but stroll through the mall and her target audience has these factors of relatability that unfortunately sells poorly designed crap.
Someone that sold $400 million worth of product in a year can’t really be called a has-been. Sounds awfully petty and hopefully beneath you.
Aw really #11? Alber Elbaz and Miuccia Prada aren’t exactly skinny and yet the public doesn’t think they’re relate-able. Major fail #11. I don’t like Jessica Simpson either but try to come up with something more intelligent and original than “OMG THE FATZ THEY RUIN EVERYTHING!?!>!>!>!”
When you look at the rest of the junior department, Jessica’s line looks pretty good. I must confess, I’ve seen pieces I liked, then saw the label (and the quality) and put them back down.
#2, you’re wrong. celebs do these licensing deals – fragrances, clothing lines, home furnishings – because agents tell them they can make money from this stuff and want to show them how they’re thinking about them as ‘brands.’ manufacturers with crap product and manufacturing capacity are usually happy to try these deals to badge their product with a celeb name because every so often it works. but a vast majority of these deals end up being loss-making ventures for both sides. (i know, i’ve been involved in successes and failures). sure, consumers have shown some demand for some celeb-based products but there are huge warehouses/landfills full of celeb-branded crap that no one could sell, because consumers didn’t want to smell like Diddy or dress like Jessica Simpson.
We get it, Lauren, you are so fashion-forward you can’t relate to the real American consumer. Clinque is for old ladies, Jessica appeals to no one, BE is lowbrow because it started on HSN. What’s next? Target is for people who live in trailers?
Oh snap Lauren you have haters already! I guess expressing your own views is taboo. As far as Simpson is concerned, who cares! I certainly don’t know anyone who buys Jessica Simpson products or Jones New York for that matter. But I do understand where you are coming from when young designers who are struggling are shutting doors on their businesses and when French Couturiers are no longer designing the amazing clothes they once did. I guess we have to accept the fact that these ridiculous, tacky and over-the-top brands are here to stay. Why? Because they sell.
I’m going to have to admit to buying a pair of Jessica Simpson heels. Crap quality but it was cute and served it’s purpose. Compared to other celebrity lines, hers isn’t that bad. Half the time I think people pick it up because it’s cute then suddenly realize that it’s by her, instead of going hunting for something that has her name on it.
It’s a shame that young designers and couturiers aren’t getting any business but while they are talented, they are not accessible. I cannot count the times that I’ve picked up something from a young designer and wondered how they could be charging that much for a simple tee.
AAARGRGGHHHH *$£^%$£$^£^ ARRGGHHHH EVEN AFTER MOM-JEANS-GATE????????????????
Jessica Simpson has as much to do with the success of her line as I do. The fact is her father somehow got her crap to be sold in Macy’s. If you literally put dog crap on a shelf in Macy’s, someone will buy it. As a previous poster commented people buy these products without realizing it is her name. Nobody goes out looking for a Jessica Simpson whatever to buy.
Uh, #20, no one’s going to buy dog crap from Macy’s. I get your point, but no. Just, no.
i know their not really celebs per say, but can we add alexander wang and erin wasson to the taking away from talented struggling designers mix? i can’t stand their copied, basic stuff and all of the press and praise it gets. SO overated.
Well at least her clothing and accessory lines are successful because she certainly isn’t doing much music or film wise!
oh, i’m sorry, is there a WRONG way to dress? i didn’t realize self-expression was so regulated. please, don’t call the fashion police! you’re right, we need to reign in the masses from their dreadful mistakes. let’s tell them what’s RIGHT and what’s WRONG, according to our standards of personal taste, which are the one true way!
god forbid the mass opinion have any validity. if you don’t like the way Jessica Simpson dresses, or her fashion line, that’s your personal problem and not something you should use as an excuse to spew high-handed, self-righteous vitriol.
fashion is not what’s trendy, or what isn’t; it’s not restricted to tiny, indie designers whose circulation is limited to exclusive retailers; it’s not about what costs a thousand dollars, or is painstakingly hand sewn by surprisingly erudite craftspeople who were formerly Wall Street bankers. that’s clothing, that’s the items that MAKE UP fashion. fashion itself, in my opinion, is just another medium for self-expression and creativity. it is–or should be–highly individual. it should allow people to explore different facets of themselves, or provide an access point for learning more about others.
this was an extremely unpleasant post to find on Fashionista, one of a few in the past several days. get over yourselves and be a little more democratic, please.
jones new york is backing jessica simpson because every person who saw this blog post knows who she is. whether the reader is in NYC or arkansas.
however, some talented, random designer who studied at Parsons or RISD and interned somewhere amazing is a big ‘who cares’ to most people. they won’t end up being mentioned in people style or instyle or us weekly…
Lauren: you lost me at “However, it still doesn’t explain why the majority of Americans have bad taste.”
I am neither american nor love the way they dress but, i don’t know this sounds way too snobbish..
I like that you started commenting… I hope you don’t stop it like the others did in the past.. They start commenting and then some time later they just stop after too many hate comments-at least thats what i think. or they get way too busy.
@poseur I am definitely going to keep commenting! Thanks for your opinion–that’s what blogs are about, and I am ready for it!
Was reading these comments and became a little annoyed. As a young fashionista working in the industry, it’s a little disheartening how much bashing is going on here. I have been a Jessica Simpson fan since -before- her reality show status, simply because she is a talented singer! Not saying every career choice she’s made has been perfect, but who is? Mass market fashion is just a fact in this industry, and I think its great that she is creating a lifestyle brand that has a distinct Americana point of view that young girls all over the country can relate to! I appreciate high fashion as much as the next girl, believe me, but I don’t think it’s fair to bash JS because of this. Seems like some people are just a little upset that she is successful. I would rather buy products from her than any other celebrity line out there…with the exception of William Rast :)