Making The Cut

Apparently it is an unspoken rule that once you become a celebrity you must come out with a clothing line. From Miley Cryus to Beyonce, everyone is doing it. However, just because a celebrity can sell out the box office, it does not mean that their clothing line well be as successful. Last week I talked about how Camila Alves’ handbag line bombed at Kitson. After doing a little research, I found out that she’s not the only celebrity whose fashion line wasn’t making the cut.

The Hills reality star Lauren Conrad and Kitson made a clothing line deal back in 2008. Although her popularity in Hollywood was at a peak, her clothing line lacked sales. At the same time Kitson dropped Conrad’s line, they opted out of carrying Victoria Beckham’s dVb menswear line. Fraser Ross, the owner of Kitson, told OK! Magazines that Conrad refused to promote her line and would not make a public appearance at Kitson. Ross said, "They need to realize it's no different than selling your album, your TV shows, your movies, you have to keep promoting it."

Ross was right. The success of a product, whether it’s a handbag or skinny jeans, is a direct result of how it is promoted. If the product turns out to be a total flop, was a crisis plan intact? Have Conrad and Beckham’s publicists forgotten to make a strategic plan? A successful public relations practitioner would focus on preventing crises and mitigating when a problem occurs.

Building relationships with the media before a crisis is essential. For years Kitson has used the media to promote their products. Their relationship with the weekly magazines has been a win-win. Kitson frequently receives media attention, while all the tabloids get their daily fix of celebrity photos.

However, when a crisis does occur the company must contain the crisis and resume operations as soon as possible. For Kitson, dropping a line can cause a media frenzy. To limit negative publicity, Kitson should contact their media connections and make a public statement. This will manage the reactions of their stakeholders. Then it is time to forgive and forget the clothing line that couldn’t make the cut.

Peace, love & fashion!!