BY STEPHANIE TRENDOCHER, FW Writer

Sometimes I think we give celebrities too much
credit. After all most celebrities aren’t really
designing, they are collaborating. It all began
with them snagging coveted spots during Fashion
Week and has extended to them linking their
name and image to a label. But now it seems
every celebrity is taking it one step further, and
trying on the “designer” label for size.
Take Lindsay Lohan for instance. The
actress and singer recently launched 6126, a line
of leggings named after Marilyn Monroe’s birth
date. The collection includes footless tights,
leggings with exposed ankle zippers, metallic fabrics and built in shiny kneepads. I didn’t
think there was much skill involved in designing
leggings, but retailers such as Fred Segal have
enthusiastically picked up her line. Once you see
the leggings with kneepads, you’ll realize the
quirky collection is pretty cool but her name is
ultimately the selling point.
Another eccentric celebrity designer is Indie
darling Chloë Sevigny, who recently collaborated
on a collection for Opening Ceremony. When
she described her design technique in the
February issue of Teen Vogue, she admitted to
not being very good at drawing sketches. The
collection was largely based on her personal style
and shared similar success to the Kate Moss
collection for TopShop. Sevigny’s collection was
scooped up by large retailers such as Barneys and
Holt Renfrew and she is rumored to be extending
her design ambitions into menswear.
It seems as though trend-setting style gives
celebrities enough credibility to explore design
opportunities. But does it give them the necessary
knowledge about design techniques and quality?
When a celebrity’s name is the forefront of the
collection, the design is bound to be secondary.
One fashion line that ensures high-end
tailoring methods are practiced is Mary Kate
and Ashley Olsen’s label The Row. The fashion
moguls are heavily involved in the design process,
from developing the sketches and selecting fabrics
to ensuring the product’s fit and quality. The
collection reflects their avant-garde style and is
compiled of minimalist separates like cashmere
tees with French seams, well-cut blazers and
stretch leather pants. The Olsens emphasize that
The Row is not a celebrity line and have avoided
fixing their name to it allowing the label to
prosper without any hype.

Twenty8Twelve by S. Miller is another
fashion venture by two equally stylish sisters,
Sienna and Savannah Miller. Like The Row, this
collection features subtle tailoring and unique
details proving that more attention has been put
into the design rather than the celebrity names
behind it. Thanks to Savannah’s fashion training
at Central St. Martins and Sienna’s creative
direction, the collection shares a unique aesthetic.

Other starlets may feel pressure to follow
in the footsteps of previous celebrity design
collaborations. After launching a line of
umbrellas inspired by the success of her single
“Umbrella”, Rihanna admits to feeling a pressure
to build her brand. The singer hinted that a line
of underwear might be in the works.

Despite the fact that many celebrities have
incredible personal style, it doesn’t always
translate into their clothing line. Fashion icon
Sarah Jessica Parker’s collection Bitten for Steve
and Barry’s achieved commercial success but
shared no resemblance to the inspired looks she
is known for. And even though she reigns as the
model of reinvention, Madonna’s collaboration
with H&M didn’t attract as much attention
as previous designer collaborations with Stella
McCartney and Karl Lagerfeld.

Regardless of whether a celebrity is truly
involved with a fashion collection or simply
choosing to fix their name to a label, these design
collaborations promise to generate incredible
sales simply because of the hype. A graduate of
the best design college, regardless of their level
of knowledge or talent is forced to compete
with celebrities who have little to no training. It
seems that celebrities are the new Calvin, Karl,
and Donatella and while they may offer sub-par
fashion trends, they definitely promise to have
people lining down the block for a piece of their
style.