Fashion Exposed: Celebrity Designers

 Once upon a time, celebrities just stuck to one career: but these days, they're branching out, and some have tried their hand at fashion design. While some of these design efforts have been obvious branding efforts, other celebrities have shown that they truly are interested in designing, and have launched their own label. Here is a look at some celebrity names who have made it in the fashion industry. Some may be under qualified, some have excelled, and others have just pasted their name on the label. Here is a look at their design efforts.


Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen - The Row
These two may have grown up acting, but as they matured, it was clear that both girls had their own unique style. Mary-Kate's personal style alone coined the word "boho" to describe it, while Ashley's mature and sophisticated style appealed to the feminine fashionista. Both girls became recognizable style icons, and it didn't seem like a strange transition when they decided to launch two fashion labels. Ashley Olsen has since decided to take a break from acting to work on her design career, and Mary-Kate looks to be following suit. The Row started in 2007, and now shows at New York Fashion Week. Their designs are sophisticated with an edge - these two make credible designers, and have proved their worth over time. Ashley has proven herself business-like and is completely dedicated to her design work.

The Row Fall/Winter 2010

Gwen Stefani - L.A.M.B.
Singer Gwen Stefani's label L.A.M.B. also shows at New York Fashion Week. Her style has always stood out, ever since she launched herself as a singer with her group No Doubt. Gwen does work with a design team, but it's clear that there is a personal touch, and that she is very involved with the creation and design process. Last season, Gwen's show was in trouble when half of the clothing was stuck in transit due to a storm. She said that they had to get creative:

"We've had to scrape together what we can," she said in a preview the day before her L.A.M.B presentation, "but it's actually forced us to be even more creative."

L.A.M.B. Fall/Winter 2010

Victoria Beckham - Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham has always been known for her chic and elegant, "posh" dress sense, but when she launched her own fashion label producing body-hugging dresses, she made sure to not make the whole idea too gimmicky. No big fancy show or a celebrity lined front row - Victoria showed her Fall/Winter collection to a select group of editors and retailers at a private showing. Although Victoria has no formal fashion training, and probably has more than a little help putting the looks together (I just can't see her sitting down at a sewing machine), her designs do epitomize her own dress sense, although it's vague whether or not she is the genius behind these sophisticated designs or not.

Victoria Beckham Fall/Winter 2010

Justin Timberlake - William Rast
Singer Justin Timberlake leapt into a design role with his label William Rast, who he founded with Trace Ayaln. Known mostly for their premium jeans, William Rast has been quite successful for Timberlake, and the label now shows at New York Fashion Week. The designs are youthful and always incorporate many mainstream trends. Timberlake does not have any formal fashion training, and it is unsure how much of the design process he is involved in (considering he already runs an acting and singing career simultaneously) - it could be that Timberlake has joined up with long-time friend Ayaln to use his fame to help promote the label, and of course to make a profit from that - the full extent of his involvement is unknown.

William Rast Fall/Winter 2010

Kate Moss - Topshop
Kate Moss has been a long time collaborator with high-street retailer Topshop. The Kate Moss for Topshop collections are supposed to sum up her unique British style which mixes high-end labels with vintage finds. Kate Moss and Topshop have decided to end their collaboration this season, with one yet to be released collection for Autumn/Winter. Kate is somewhat involved in the design process with Topshop, but quite loosely. She shops for vintage inspiration pieces, and the Topshop design team will produce a collection around the best vintage finds, as well as other aspects that Kate wishes to contribute (in 2007, she added an embroidery of one of her tattoos to a pair of jeans). Kate's input is simply to pick out the what she likes out of the designs chosen. Check out the video below, which gives an insiders glimpse at Kate's work with the Topshop design team.