Seasoned Designers Have a Hold on Celebrities
Fledgling apparel designers looking to Hollywood to get their clothing in the spotlight may have a tough challenge ahead, given the grip that top-tier designers have with film, television and advertising companies, according to the power brokers who place products for apparel companies.
Speaking at a March 16 panel at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles, six of the industry’s top product placement specialists discussed the ins and outs of their business at a discussion called “Seen & Scene.” It was sponsored by Fashion Group International, a nonprofit fashion networking group.
Panelists were Susan Ashbrook of Film Fashion, Kathy Findling of Inspire Entertainment, Kristine Hardig of Distinctive Assets, Matt Meyerson of B/W/R public relations, Rebecca Paiement of Movieline, and designer Carlos Rosario.
The experts said young apparel designers will have to work harder than ever to get their designs on celebrities or in movies or television programs because the dollars and perks being doled out by name designers is overwhelming.
“I would love to see Charlize Theron walk the red carpet wearing something from some small designer, but it’s about the big guys cutting deals now,” said Findling, a former Paramount Pictures and MGM product-placement executive.
Designers are paying thousands and giving away just as much in product to get their designs on the right bodies. And it’s happening beyond the red carpet.
Filmmakers and television producers and directors are using apparel designers to finance their projects by selling product-placement time. In some cases it goes too far.
“In movies or a program, it can disrupt the audience from understanding the characters or story lines. There’s an artistic aspect that should be respected,” said Rosario, who makes an eponymous collection as well as works as a costume designer on films.
On the other hand, the influence celebrities wield can be surprising. Meyerson, senior vice president of product placement for B/W/R, said that after one popular starlet wore a Rebel Yell shirt at a red carpet event, the shirt reaped about $300,000 in sales for the Los Angeles boutique Kitson.
Celebrities are also wising up and using the media for their own benefit. Stars like Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow have been known to stage their own events with photographers to publicize certain endeavors, Ashbrook said. “It can go bad, too, as in the case with Nike and Kobe Bryant,” she said, citing the Lakers’ star brush with the law two years ago when he was accused of raping a young woman at a Colorado mountain lodge.
So, do young and smaller brands have a chance to succeed with product placement? Meyerson said some brands, like Bathing Ape clothing, grow by taking a less-thanconspicuous strategy, accumulating a loyal almost cult-like following.
“You’re seeing the Robinsons-May stores going away and boutiques taking over. That’s where these brands can make an impact,” he said.
Panelists added that product placement is not all about film and television. The Internet is becoming a more important and less expensive vehicle for product placement. Harding of Distinctive Assets, which turned gift bags into a multi-million-dollar industry, said getting products into gift bags and baskets is getting more expensive. But at $6,000 for entry, it could be worth it if the product ends up in the right hands. “There’s true value in it,” she said.
Ashbrook concluded by saying younger companies have to do their groundwork by making lots of calls to editors and agencies and costume designers. —Robert McAllister
