Stepping Into Celebrity Shoes

Envious mere mortals, take heart: for every success story, there's a corresponding cautionary tale of a celebrity who overestimated his or her consumer appeal. Despite millions of dollars worth of media exposure, including a debut on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Beyoncé's House of Dereon line has failed to catch fire with consumers. No matter how famous the product's provenance, if it fails to impress women on its own merits it begins to resemble a cynical exercise in self-promotional marketing. The fashion media are often reluctant to take many of these side projects as seriously as a ready-to-wear collection from a committed designer. And once the initial attention dies down, consumer interest might fade, loyalty reverting to tried-and-true labels.

Today the biggest risk to celebrities involved with a retail venture is the same one they face on the red carpet: embarrassment. The pop-cultural pantheon might be bigger than ever, but its rate of turnover has accelerated as well. Each misstep threatens to reduce a celebrity's shelf life, and the same press that enshrined her has no problem picking her to pieces when the opportunity appears.

Still, the ego's potential for expansion is infinite. Having already achieved immense wealth and public recognition, many celebrities see fashion as the next frontier to be conquered, not to mention a healthy new revenue stream. Gumption, or perhaps greed, inspires them to reach for more. Their success as designers might last the seasonal equivalent of 15 minutes, but fashion—like celebrity—has always been fleeting.

© 2008