Are celebrity designers always a success?... Apparently Not!

With so many Hollywood stars collaborating with fashion brands or making their own fashion brand, fashion critics and this blogger here see some as a joke.  Examples of these celebrity fashion brands that are laughed at are House of Dereon and Lauren Conrad. 

The Knowles Family Affair began in 2004, when Beyonce and her mother and stylist, Tina Knowles launched their fashion line House of Dereon.  The tagline used in ads is “Couture.Kick.Soul.”  Seems like people do not know the definition of couture anymore. 

Tina Knowles use to design and make Destiny’s Child’s costumes.  Does anyone remember what those costumes looked like?  Well here they are…

I think Beyonce and Tina don’t know the difference between designing a costume and designing a fashion brand.  Although there are those who buy clothing from this brand, it’s more of Beyonce’s fans who want to look like her, and not fashion lovers or followers.  Don’t get me wrong. Beyonce looks amazing in these clothes and her costumes on stage, but that is exactly what they are… COSTUMES!!!    

Now let’s take a look at Lauren Conrad...

She began on MTV’s reality show Laguna Beach, and then became the star of the reality show The Hills.  She studied fashion design in Los Angeles at FIDM.  After seeing what happened to Lauren Conrad you don’t just need a degree and fame to have a successful brand.  Hmmm, maybe what is needed is something called talent. 

She first began trying to sell just the plain tank tops of her line for $225.  Department stores, such as Bloomingdales, denied to sell such a simple line at those costs, so Lauren then dropped her prices and turned to Khol’s and sold the brand there.  But even dropping prices didn’t help.  Lauren had to stop production and close her line in 2009.  She blamed it on the “economic crisis,” and said she wanted to rethink her fashion line.  It was reported that she wants a more high-end fashion line with better quality fabrics.  Hellooooooo… wake up and smell the coffee… Lauren, your problem is not your fabrics, it’s YOU!!!  In 2010 she announced that she is working on a new line with some of her “best friends,” as in maybe her fake friends from The Hills.  Like that’s really going to help.