Catherine Curan
03/01/2007
Ever wondered what an heiress smells like? Paris Hilton knows, and she is trying to put that scent in a bottle. Hilton has licensed her name to Parlux Fragrances for a new perfume called Heiress. Her sister, Nicky (right), hawks fashion and handbags, as well as a new collection of Tweety Designed by Nicky Hilton apparel and accessories for Warner Bros.
Nicky and her ubiquitously photographed older sister represent
the apex—some might say nadir—of a new trend that fuses fashion and celebrity.
Rather than simply setting style trends, as affluent women have done since royal
courts dictated fashion, some of today’s most prosperous women are becoming
fashion brands themselves.The list of successful women with fashion collections is long and growing. It includes Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Beyonce Knowles and Gwen Stefani. Even U2 front man and philanthropist Bono backs two socially conscious collections: fair trade clothing line Edun ("nude" spelled backward) and (RED), a range of licensed products whose proceeds support AIDS programs, particularly in Africa (see "Perpetual Motion" February 2007 ).
This trend reflects the Web’s democratization of fashion imagery and commentary that enables fans to follow their favorite star’s every red carpet gown or party dress more closely than previous generations ever could. "Fashion, film and music are all interconnected now," says Shawn Grain Carter, fashion historian at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
Most celebrity fashion trends flame out quickly. Stefani’s licensed L.A.M.B. collection is regarded as a rare breakout success. Licensing can take the burden of execution off a celebrity, but even this route carries enormous risks. Simpson was hit with a $100 million lawsuit in 2006 by her jeanswear licensee, Tarrant Apparel Group, which accused her of failing to promote the collection adequately.
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