Get Your Clothes on Celebrities

For most designer’s, it is a dream to have their collection of clothes draped on some of the most adored celebrities, along with having snap-shot images on the red carpet to go with their one-of-a-kind designs. And, for most emerging designers, they may see this as a sure pathway to success within the realm of fashion in building their brand. Having that one photo-op, capturing a major celebrity in their clothes is the moment of exposure, launching that mass market appeal and getting their brand to the next level. But, before designers follow this strategy, it’s a good idea to take the time to research the celebrity that they are trying to target. For one celebrities, are not just beautiful faces with gorgeous bodies, they are people with personalities and have their own personal brand that they are trying to build as well.

Branding

So, one question a designer should ask themselves, is their clothing line and brand aligned with the celebrity itself? When deciding to select a celebrity to help build one’s brand, it’s a good idea to get behind the total celebrity persona–not just the celebrity we see in the front of the cameras. Just because you see a celebrity grace the covers of several magazines and making all the headlines of entertainment news, this may not always be the right fit for your brand.

Of course, notoriety always promotes publicity, but is it the right type of publicity for your consumers and is it going to help develop your brand in the direction you want to go? As a designer, it is key to know who your prospective buyers of your brand will be, so you could determine whether the celebrity you are trying to endorse will sit well with them. Determining who your niche audience is and foreseeing who will be wearing your style of clothing is an essential part of developing your brand.

It’s essential to determine whether your clothing is more for the young trendsetting hipsters in their early 20s to mid 30s; or is it the young conservative professional sophisticated type in their early 30s to mid 40s. Whoever it may be, it is important to know this early in regards to building your brand and developing yourself as a designer.

Marketing

In doing your research, your marketing strategists can assist in getting feedback from your personal database, by utilizing social media and other online marketing tools to test how your potential consumers feel about the celebrity you are trying to approach.

Because, it is senseless to hire a celebrity that you may simply be fond of, when your niche buyers may not have the same affection for this celebrity as you do, or worse, they could care less for this particular celebrity and may think they are talentless and tasteless trash. So, it’s wise to invest some time and do your homework before selecting a celebrity to help boost your brand and find out if it’s a good compliment for your brand.

And, once you’ve done your research and determined if your clothing fits the celebrity you have in mind, you need to do more research on who is their support team from their publicists to their stylists etc., and discover ways to develop relationships with these individuals. Again, getting acquainted with the whole celebrity persona, meaning finding ways to know all the industry professionals involved in making that particular celebrity come to life along with all their looks.

Red Carpet Trends

It’s also a good idea to keep an eye out for past and current red carpet trends for this celebrity, and what types of clothing they have been seen photographed in to determine their sense of style. So, look online and check out previous magazines to get a good sense of both of their casual and formal looks. This could really be essential when it comes to red-carpet events, having the goal of somehow managing to get a sample from your collection sent to their publicist or stylist.

Public Relations

Although, all designers would love to aim for high-profile events such as awards shows and big movie preimeres, it probably would be more realistic to start off with some of the lower profile events. These can include red-carpet charity events and fundraisers as a way to get your foot in the door, and start to get your brand noticed by your celebrity with the intent to establish relationships with their professional team of people.

This is when writing personal notes to celebrity’s publicists and gifting certain items by lending out samples of clothing from your collection for these more low-key events can be a beneficial approach. And, make sure you maintain relationships with their publicists to track whether your garment of clothing will be worn for that specific event in order to obtain as many photographs as you can to promote your brand.

Maybe, even take it a step further and find out in advanced some of the photographers who will be covering the event. However, make sure you clear things with the celebrity’s publicist, as well as manager, before posting photographs on your social media and marketing sites to avoid any uneccessary legalities. The last thing you want to do is get involved in some type of nasty lawsuit, so make sure you cover all your basis and not get ahead of yourself and start posting everywhere.

Spark Their Interest

Another method of approach that may provide a favorable outcome is to research some of your celebrity’s favorite charities, and learn what organizations they are involved with. Find a means of developing and building connections with some of these establishments that are close and dear to their heart and offer creative promotions, where a portion of your sales from your clothing will go towards some of these causes. This can lead to a spark of interest by your sought-after celebrity to promote your collection and render you the results that you are seeking. So, discover where your celebrity donates their time and make effort to initiate relationships with some of these charitable organizations.

Look For Up and Comers

Also, don’t always focus on celebrities that are already in the limelight. Obviously, it can be fierce competition in getting your personal merchandise seen by these A-listers, because it is a known fact that they are constantly bombarded by designers and professionals in the world of fashion and entertainment. So, in selecting your celebrity, it may be wise to choose a celebrity on the verge of breaking out in their career—not one who is already established and constantly sought after for their notable fame.

Of course, in the realm of celebrity status to dress the “Brangelina’s” and “Kimye’s” of celeb royalty is a dream for most upcoming designers, but having more realistic expectations may be more ideal and promising for you. Stay grounded with the vision of working towards that caliber of celebrity status for your brand—because all things are possible.

So, whatever method of approach you may take to garner the interest of your chosen celebrity, the most important thing you can do for your brand is fundamentally do your research. Get to know the overall celebrity and become familiar with their celebrity persona. Don’t just get caught up with their glamorous aura, get to know who they are as people and individuals and develop relationships with their support team.

Discover what they care about and what moves them in order to build those connection between you, your brand, and your celebrity, and let the red carpet take you and your brand where the spotlight takes you!