Do celebrities steal the spotlight from real designers?
There’s an interesting article in the New York Times today, about how celebrity clothing lines now have much more buzz than real fashion designer’s own lines.
Phillip Lim, who recently won the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA) highest honor for emerging talent, expresses his frustration at competing with celebrity-driven labels, such as Sean John by Sean “Diddy” Combs and JLO by Jennifer Lopez.
“You think, ‘Wow, how unfair,’” he says.
“Celebrities have made it harder for real designers,” veteran designer Vera Wang also says. “You could be competing against a television or movie star for a fragrance deal, and that’s an added pressure for designers. We’re working really hard to keep our heads above water, and does the public differentiate, or care? Those are big questions.”
In the world of “urban” fashion, many of our top brands are celebrity driven, from Jay-Z‘s Rocawear to Nelly‘s Apple Bottoms.
How strongly would you say you’re influenced to buy a brand due to its celebrity status?
I am not influenced by a brand because of it’s “celebrity” status but I will say having that name plays a huge role in marketing, and saturating the market with their brand(g-unit,apple bottoms, etc.) so they have it a lot easier than a regular designer.
I’m very influenced.
I grew up under Hip Hop music.. my role models growing up were the people I could relate too.> Jermaine Duprie.. Jay-Z.. Outkast… 2pac…Ma$e… diddy.. and the list goes on
I’m going to stay influenced by them to b/c honestly… I’m 100% about that recycling money through the community and those other designers were not doing it for us so why should we care about them? they didn’t care until we came into stardom and started controlling our crowd.. getting the money they o nce got from us…. .for real….
I buy more than just Hip Hop designers but I was introduced to this Hip Hop clothing lifestyle by Hip Hop artists…. they will continue to influence the community the same way… good or bad….
those same designers have to also keep in mind A LOT of people wouldn’t even know who they were if hip hop artists did not mention their name so they need to see both sides to it
I will probably do a writing on Hip Hop clothing sooner or later summing up the years of studying I’ve done to keep my site SoJones.com on top of the Hip Hop fashion world.. how it was started.. where it’s going… etc… i’ve predicted a lot of crap and can probably still do it if i take the time
well, I think that a celebrity name can make or break a company, it depends on the celebrity…
I know that some people don’t exactly love 50 Cent for example, so chances are those people don’t buy too much G-Unit clothing, but I know alot of people have alot of respect for Sean Combs and Sean John is doing really well in buisness… I think that celebrities will affect brands somethimes in good ways, sometimes in bad…
It just comes down to whether people know who they are and what they want to represent as their style cuz even though jay is the face of rocawear how many times have we heard him mention or wear other brands like red monkey evisu etc., and if you’re really into fashion you’ll find what fits you whether you do urban or the tailored look or punk etc., while most people do need an example to live by others make it a point to not conform to anything so if it’s hot you don’t have to worry about other competition there will be someone who likes it as long as you keep it original cuz some people think it’s fashion just cuz it costs alot but you still gotta be able to put a fit together
It does suck in a way for designers because you have celebrities who don’t even have a clue what all the hard work that goes into making clothing and pattern making for clothing. It’s a lot more complicated then people think. I think that is where the frustration for designers come in. It sucks to see a fashion show for, for example Jennifer Lopez and then you see her strut down the runway at the end of the show when she definately didn’t construct or design those clothes. The real designer should be struting down that runway.
Yea a little like Gino Green Global has alot of celebrity support from 50 Cent, Papoose, Lloyd Banks, Mike Jones, Busta Rhymes and more. at first people didt really notice until they saw a celebrity wearing them.
i’m an up and coming designer on the rise i’m tryin to come up with a hot new line ,my styles are rare, stylish,and unique….and when I become a fashion designer, I want it to be hot….but when my ideas hit the racks i will let it speak for itself……cause if your ideas r good then it shouldn’t really matter. Like my moms use to say all things down in the dark will come to the light…don’t get it twisted i understand what u r talking about, in them stealing the spotlight, but if your work is good then u can get your own spot light
Trust me when I say the celebrities have no idea about clothing
I used to design for Sean John and did a few things for G-Unit. Diddy does not know anything about clothing, 50 Cent even less. What these brands are is celebrity fronted money making machines.
If you buy their album identify with their style or aspire to be like them once you win idol, then theres a massive appeal for their product. We live in a time when celebrities are treated like gods and many people buy their fronted products to get a little bit of that lifestyle they embody
Just don’t think that they have had much to do with what you have bought. At most they have looked at some drawings, been taken to an expensive dinner and handed a big fat cheque to say to the press how involved they got in it and how they are thinking of leaving music to concentrate on their clothing lines.
I was well paid for what I did and have no complaints about it, its business. The only thing that is a little bit annoying is when you hear them talk about their lines and what they say they have done, when you know they are just doing their best to get a few more minutes of air time and a larger cut of the takings at the end of the day. Most of these styles they sell are knock off of the designer brands they personally prefer to wear over their own lines anyway