DKNY Jeans to do Rachel Bilson Line : Edie Rose

[Jeta]

Rachel Bilson to design for DKNY

Rachel Bilson has signed up to create her own fashion line for DKNY.

The 26-year-old OC star will design a junior sportswear line for the label entitled Edie Rose, which will debut in stores from September. She will also star in the advertising campaign for the range.

Speaking to WWD, Bilson commented, 'This is something that I have been interested in doing for such a long time. I was just waiting for the perfect opportunity for it to be done right.'

She also revealed that she would be putting her acting duties on hold to focus on her new fashion project. 'This line is my main focus right now' she said, ' I can't draw at all, so I won't be doing any sketches, but I am learning to sew. I think it's important to know more about the whole process of making clothes.'

Kevin Monogue, president of DKNY added, 'Our customer has a real emotional connection with Rachel and she's always on the best-dressed lists, so it seemed like such a win-win for us. Rachel has real personal style and she is very involved in every step. You can really see that in the collection.'

Bilson has become one of Hollywood's best dressed young stars in the last few years, featuring regularly on style lists and on the front rows of the shows in New York and Paris. She is also the muse to US designer Zac Posen.

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/ce...-for-dkny.html

[shop7th]

^.. oh man i was so hoping she would never do this.
but who knows? maybe it'll be really cute but i'm not even really sure what junior sportswear means.

i am surprised to hear she will be taking a break from acting for this because i've never heard her express a desire to design.

[GasolineRainbow]

I really, really like Rachel, but I am SO sick of celebrities designing fashion lines. It is my number #1 pet peeve. It's actually embarrassing how much it irritates me, considering all the serious and tragic things going on in the world. I just read an article about Darfur with a relatively cool head and now this is making me mad. I'm pathetic, I know.

[shop7th]

^ same for me! but maybe she'll be more involved in the process considering she is actually taking a break from acting for it.. i don't mind when a celebrity actually plays a major role in the design.

[GasolineRainbow]

^^ Oh, I mind.

If you're a celebrity who is passionate about fashion, why not style a fashion shoot, guest-edit a magazine,
dress actors/dancers in a movie or video clip, organize a fashion show for upcoming designers, invest in a cutting edge fashion line etc. ? You'd still get plenty of publicity. There are so many creative fashion-related endeavors that celebrities are in a position to pursue, that I would kill to be able to do. But they usually choose what is most lucrative, even though I doubt most of them need the money.

The only celeb fashion line I don't mind - even though I don't like the clothes - is Gwen Stefani's, because she was known to often design and sew her own clothes.

And just so I don't get too negative and off-topic, I do plan to check out Rachel Bilson's line for fashion inspiration (because I can't afford DKNY anyway). She is a good dresser, and I'm sure her designs will be cute.

[lostinemotion]

it's weird name for a line?
why not just dkny?

[lucy92]

Catching Celebrity Wave: DKNY Jeans to Do Rachel Bilson Line
By Julee Kaplan

DKNY Jeans is getting more aggressive in the celebrity fashion game — and its partner of choice is actress Rachel Bilson.

Bilson, 26, best known for her leading roles in "The O.C." and the current film "Jumper," joins an array of fashion-hungry celebrities who are entering the fray, including rocker Avril Lavigne, who signed a deal with Kohl's last week (the store is also said to be in talks with singer Vanessa Carlton for a jewelry line) and Nicole Richie, who is planning to do a maternity collection and a costume jewelry line. And industry executives claim more are in the pipeline.

For DKNY Jeans, the partnership gave the Liz Claiborne Inc.-owned brand a chance to address a more fashion-forward customer. The company will produce and distribute Bilson's junior sportswear line, which will be called Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans. The collection will hit stores in September.

The deal came together after Bilson contacted DKNY Jeans to see if it would be interested in collaborating with her. "Fans of 'The O.C.' really like DKNY Jeans, and I know they make great stuff, so I thought it could be good," she said.

"Our customer has a real emotional connection with Rachel and she's always on the best-dressed lists, so it seemed like such a win-win for us," said Kevin Monogue, president of DKNY Jeans. "Rachel has real personal style and she is very involved in every step. You can really see that in the collection."

Monogue, who declined to give sales expectations for Edie Rose, said he is positioning the label to be sold alongside the DKNY Jeans mix. He is targeting the same department and specialty stores where the brand is sold, such as Macy's, Lord & Taylor and Nordstrom.



The Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans line consists of about 15 pieces for the launch, including a sportswear mix of button-down tops, sweaters, jackets, T-shirts, dresses and two jeans styles — a straight leg and a skinny leg, both available in a dark wash. Monogue said the line is quite different from the DKNY Jeans collection, being made mostly in a simple black-and-white palette, with the occasional yellow as a pop color.

"I have a yellow scarf that I love and I was really inspired by it," Bilson said. "I was so happy they were able to get that same yellow into the clothes."

Bilson said that while she has never been trained in fashion design, she is making every effort to learn. She said she is even "laying low" in the entertainment world in order to learn more about design.

"This line is my main focus right now," she said. "I can't draw at all, so I won't be doing any sketches, but I am learning to sew. I think it's important to know more about the whole process of making clothes."

Bilson said that when she came up with ideas for the line, she knew she didn't want her own name on the label, which is why she chose Edie (after her grandmother) and Rose (a close family friend). She said these are two women who inspire her, so the name seemed fitting for her brand.

"I want people to see these clothes for what they are, not just another line designed by another celebrity," she said. "I want the line to be taken seriously."

True Bilson fans, however, will know that the Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans label will have something to do with the actress, as she will appear in the brand's fall advertising campaign. She also plans to wear the clothes in her personal life.

Bilson said it's also important to her to have accessible prices so her clothes can be bought by the majority of her fans. The entire line will wholesale between $19.50 and $49.50 per piece, which is in line with the DKNY Jeans range.

"I am just amazed at how the team at DKNY Jeans were able to listen to my ideas and come out with exactly what I was talking about. They literally brought my ideas to life," she said. "I also want to show people that you don't have to pay a million dollars for clothes that look good. For me, I love vintage clothes and I shop vintage all the time. It's fun to play and put things together. You don't have to spend a lot to get a great look."

It's a mantra being increasingly chanted by celebrities entering the fashion game — from Sarah Jessica Parker, with her Bitten line for Steve & Barry's, to Sheryl Crow, with her new denim collection, Bootheel Trading Co. by Sheryl Crow. As the vendor and retail landscapes increasingly consolidate, both sectors are looking for an edge wherever they can get one, and are searching for celebrities to join the likes of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Gwen Stefani, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Lopez and Justin Timberlake.

Monogue said that, unlike the one-season partnership the brand had last fall with Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, called Clandestine Industries for DKNY Jeans, he doesn't see the Bilson line as a one-shot deal.

"It has the potential to go long term," he said. "Stores are looking for something new to have on the floor, and we are confident that they will really like what they see. The line with Pete was really great for us and having him in our ad campaign was a huge success. But since Pete's line was already being sold elsewhere, we saw it as more of a limited partnership. With Rachel, we are really launching her. This will be her first foray into fashion, and she's a girl, so that will be a strong connection to our customers."

excerpt and pics from wwd

[GasolineRainbow]

^^ Edie Sedgwick is one of Rachel's style icons, so I'm pretty sure it's named after her. Dunno who Rose is meant for. Hayden's grandma is called Rose.

Yes, I know too much useless information about them. No, I'm not obsessed with celebrities. But I do happen to be a big fan of both Bilson and Christensen, way before they got together. Strangely, although I love them individually, I find them somewhat mismatched as a couple.

[birthdaygirl]

Originally Posted by lostinemotion

it's weird name for a line?
why not just dkny?

Here's an excerpt from WWD.com:
"Bilson said that when she came up with ideas for the line, she knew she didn't want her own name on the label, which is why she chose Edie (after her grandmother) and Rose (a close family friend). She said these are two women who inspire her, so the name seemed fitting for her brand."

[WheresMyUmbrella]

The clothes look pretty dull. Disappointing.

[Erin]

"Fans of the O.C. really like DKNY jeans" ???

Right.

[Suburban Snob]

Well I admit that I am most interested to see what she and DKNY come up with.

[Jenna-maria]

junior sportwear!??!?!
WHAT, sportwear to kids?

[Belowen]

I think it will be interesting to see what her collection looks like, she obviously has a great eye for putting pieces together, so maybe it won't be so bad...

[shop7th]

a little more info on her line..

The fashion line is mostly black and white pieces, a little yellow here and there.

“I have a yellow scarf that I love and I was really inspired by it,” Rachel said. “I was so happy they were able to get that same yellow into the clothes.”

“I want people to see these clothes for what they are, not just another line designed by another celebrity,” she said. “I want the line to be taken seriously.”

Edie Rose for DKNY Jeans will soon be sold for $19.50 and $49.50 per piece at department stores including Macy’s, Lord & Taylor and Nordstrom.
“I am just amazed at how the team at DKNY Jeans were able to listen to my ideas and come out with exactly what I was talking about. They literally brought my ideas to life,” Rachel added. “I also want to show people that you don’t have to pay a million dollars for clothes that look good. For me, I love vintage clothes and I shop vintage all the time. It’s fun to play and put things together. You don’t have to spend a lot to get a great look.”

justjared.com