Celebrities-turned-designers have tackled everything from the high end (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with the Row), to the middle end (Nicole Richie’s House of Harlow), to the low end (Avril Lavigne’s line for Kohl’s). While many celeb-designed lines have floundered, a surprising number have flourished. Of particular note is Justin Timberlake’s William Rast line. The singer co-hosted this year’s CFDA awards and he has repeatedly been photographed chatting it up with Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. That said, Timberlake, unlike most celebrity designers, has often downplayed his creative role in his line at William Rast. Which brings us to an unlikely success story, that of Jessica Simpson.
The singer, who is more often in the news for personal reasons that anything else, has already build a mini-fashion empire. Offering shoes, handbags, and apparel at affordable prices, Simpson has now teamed up with Red Carter for a swimwear collection. The collection will be a collaborative effort between the two (the Camuto Group will oversee manufacturing and distribution) and the line will be called The Jessica Simpson Swim Collection. The swim collection is already slated to hit a number of major department and specialty stores nationwide, and prices are expected to fall between $35 and $50 for separates and up to $120 for cover-ups.
From low end to high end, Emma Watson (the 19-year-old Harry Potter star) has been generating quite the buzz of her own. Besides being seen schmoozing with Daphne Guinness, she has been photographed by Karl Lagerfeld, and attended a dinner for Rodarte. Most recently, the starlette was picked by Burberry to be the face of their latest campaign, shot by Mario Testino. Now the word is that Watson is in the process of creating her own range of apparel for teens. All profits for the clothing line will reportedly go to UNICEF, and Karl Lagerfel has supposedly helped the design neophyte by giving her advice.
Images courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.
