It seems like every other day here at Stylish we’re reporting on a new beauty or fashion brand created by a beloved celebrity. From success stories like Kylie Jenner to Rihanna to up-and-comers like Tracee Ellis Ross and Lady Gaga, just about every A-lister seems to be creating his or her own collection. But as prominent as they currently are on the market, are these celeb-backed brands actually successful?
In a Vogue Business story from Sunday, September 15, the publication breaks down the good, the bad and the ugly to get to the truth of the matter. And unsurprisingly they found that it all depends on the quality of the product.
Of course, celebs have the benefit of star power to help get their companies off the ground. In fact, the founding partner and chief executive of DMA United (a company that negotiates terms between celebrities and labels) Marc Beckman, noted that they can lead to an extra 400 to 600 percent in sales.
However, these brands aren’t always able to maintain this kind of improvement long-term. For instance, revenues from Kylie Cosmetics dipped 67.5 percent in July 2018 before slightly recovering, according to an analysis of online receipts from Rakuten Intelligence.
“At the end of the day, product is champion,” Beckman told the publication. “If the collaborator doesn’t have the ability to create superior product design, then the consumer will walk away from the product.” Quality products mixed with a specific, honed-in marketing strategy prove to be the most beneficial.
For instance, Rihanna made her goal inclusion, ensuring that she developed makeup for women of all skin tones, using her own experience to make the beauty space better overall. Jenner capitalized on the interest of her lips to create a buzz around her first launch, the Lip Kit. It was thanks to this careful combination that Forbes named the reality star the youngest self-made billionaire.
“It’s the power of social media,” Jenner told the publication back in March. “I had such a strong reach before I was able to start anything.” And from there she went on to extend the Kylie Cosmetics line into so much more than a Lip Kit retailer.
Tons of other celebs have seen the success and are looking to develop their own line now, from Hailey Bieber to Selena Gomez. But now we know it’s so much more than just a name behind a brand.
