[lucy92]

In the growing love affair between celebrity and fashion, one of the biggest names out there is close to getting into the groove: Madonna.

The pop icon is in talks to launch a contemporary women’s collection with a group of licensees that would be sold exclusively at Macy’s, according to sources. The merchandise would include apparel, accessories, intimates and footwear. Label names under serious consideration for the product lines include Material Girl for the apparel and Truth or Dare for the lingerie and underwear.

“Truth or Dare” was the title of a 1991 film, which documented Madonna’s groundbreaking Blonde Ambition worldwide concert tour.

Madonna’s longtime publicist, Liz Rosenberg, did not return calls Monday seeking comment. A Macy’s spokesman also declined comment.

Iconix Brand Group Inc. is involved in the negotiations for the venture, according to sources, and Madonna has made visits to the company’s New York offices. Iconix is a brand management firm, which owns and licenses 21 brands, including Candie’s, Bongo, Rampage, London Fog, Rocawear, Danskin and Badgley Mischka. The brands ring up $10 billion in retail sales in total, according to the company.

An Iconix spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny a potential Madonna deal. “Iconix has no comment on this story,” she said.

However, sources said a deal is close to being signed.

Iconix has experience working with pop superstars, having re-signed Britney Spears last month to a second year representing the Candie’s brand, which is sold exclusively at Kohl’s.

In spring 2007, Madonna created a co-branded women’s collection with H&M, under the M by Madonna label. “Madonna has an impressive feel for fashion and trends. She was extraordinarily style conscious, passionate and was involved in even the smallest details of every design,” said Margareta van den Bosch, head of H&M design at that time.

She clearly is eager to branch out from performing, with reports that she may write and direct a film about the romance between Wallis Simpson and Edward, the Prince of Wales, called “W.E.” She also is said to be preparing a worldwide tour for later this year.

The singer is known to demand total creative control over her projects, which is one of the reasons she has yet to launch a fragrance, even though she has tried to do so for more than a decade. Beauty companies have been reluctant to meet her financial demands, while many question whether her appeal remains as strong as it once was.

excerpt from wwd

[eugenius]

Please..Madonna probably hasn't set foot in a Macy's since Like A Virgin.

[Salvatore]

Please Madonna ... don't do it . I love you, but no .

[GERGIN]

Oh my, where do I begin...?

[carmen_kass]

Oh yeah that's what they need in the mid-west, cone bras!

[mikeijames]

there's only one reason for celebrities to devote as much time as she has trying to build fashion cred....to cash in. i say, more power to her. it's not like fashion folk shop at macy's anyway.

[ettebe]

I wish her the best of luck but not really. I have a feeling it will do well just because its her

[Spiral1532]

Ridiculous! As is just about everything else that she does these days.
Sweetie, you need to hang it up and just stay home baking cookies for your kids.

[softgrey]

come on...
hwo can anyone be surprised by this...???
the surprise is that it has taken this long...
i mean--- this is a woman who has influenced a generation of female fashion trends...
and then some...
i just have never understood why she didn't do this LONG long ago...
i guess she just doesn't want to do it with her own money...
which is smart actually...

but i think this should have happened a long time ago...

i share those sentiments that it may be too little, too late...
the days of her having any sort of influence are pretty close to over...
unless you count gay men..and i don't think they are buying women's clothing...
ok- maybe some of them....
but def not enough of them to keep a brand afloat...

...

...
she'll need teenagers and i don't think teens are listening to MO...

[lucy92]

i (for one) hope its true.
i quite liked her H&M collection and that did well apparently.

and most of the stuff in macy's is BORING. this may shake things up a bit in there. smart move, on macy's part. they need more exclusives.

[fashionista-ta]

My opinion of Madonna is not that high, but Macy's is beneath her. Or should be ...

Any model would surely love to have gotten the ad campaigns Madonna has. I don't think she's run out of fashion cred just yet.

If she ever goes to prison (a la Martha), then I would recommend doing a Macy's line

[farou7a]

Quote:

So, Madonna is reportedly in talks to design two collections for Macy’s. WWD says that one name being considered for the apparel line is Material Girl, while the lingerie collection might be labeled Truth or Dare. We really, really doubt Madonna would be okay with these kitschy names, but then again, we’re shocked she’s even thinking about doing something with Macy’s. It’s such a Jessica Simpson move. But what if Madonna really does go through with it? We bet some, if not all, of these ten pieces will weasel their way into the collections. 1. Lacy fingerless gloves. 2. Gaultier-style body suit. 3. Bustier dress ala Dolce & Gabbana. 4. Plaid cowboy shirt. 5. White lace prom dress. 6. Lots and lots of garters. 7. Barbie pink satin gown. 8. Tuxedo. 9. Black or blood red Victorian-style velvet jacket. 10. Cone bra.

source: fashionista.com

[lucy92]

excerpt from wwd....


Madonna and Iconix Brand Group Inc. are ready to cause a commotion and dress you up at retail.

The pop icon and the brand management firm will today reveal the formation of a joint venture called MG Icon LLC, which will bring multiple fashion-related projects to retail racks across America and around the world. The first initiatives under the agreement are a juniors’ line called Material Girl, which will launch exclusively at Macy’s in August. MG Icon is also close to announcing a collaboration with a designer label for a co-branded eyewear collection.

“Joining forces with Iconix to bring my fashion ideas to consumers is very exciting for me,” said Madonna.


MG Icon will be 50 percent owned by Iconix and 50 percent by Madonna and Guy Oseary, her longtime manager and the “G” in the joint venture’s name. MG Icon will develop a range of fashion-related business projects, including the creation of new brands, the acquisition of existing labels and the exploration of opportunities within the portfolio of 21 brands that Iconix and its other joint ventures already own, said Neil Cole, chairman and chief executive officer of Iconix.

“I look forward to working closely with Neil and his team to create and translate my vision and ideas for MG Icon,” added Madonna.

Under terms of the joint venture, MG Icon will hold the right to use Madonna’s name and associated personality for apparel, footwear, accessories and other products. Madonna will also provide creative input and endorsement services in connection with the development and marketing of the venture’s brands and projects.

“Madonna has been building brands for other companies for a long time. Now, it’s time for her to build her own brand,” said Cole. “There are so many opportunities globally for this joint venture. Madonna sells out arenas around the world, from Scandinavia to South America. Madonna is an international calling card.”

Oseary said Madonna was considering building a fashion business that leveraged her name and fame for a long time, but was looking for the right partner. “It wasn’t really until we met Neil and Iconix that I really felt that we had the proper support system and infrastructure that we would need to reach our goals,” said Oseary.

Hypothetical opportunities for Madonna and MG Icon include endorsing other Iconix brands, such as Ed Hardy, which the singer has often worn in the past, or Danskin, noted Cole. “She’s a great dancer so that could make sense,” he explained. “But it’s not just endorsing a brand. When Madonna gets involved in a brand, she’s all in, so she’d probably be involved in design, photo shoots, everything. She’s really a perfectionist.”

The Material Girl line at Macy’s will launch in 200 doors and on macys.com in time for back-to-school, with the aim of expanding to almost all of the department store’s 850 doors, said Jeff Gennette, chief merchandising officer at Macy’s Inc. “We see a huge opportunity for us in this space for a fast-fashion line with great price points,” he said. “We have not done a lifestyle line in juniors’ before, and Madonna is a multigenerational icon.”

[lucy92]

why is nobody excited about this but me? :p

Madonna teams with daughter Lola on fashion line

By Alicia Quarles, AP Entertainment Writer | March 30, 2010
NEW YORK --When Madonna needed inspiration for her latest fashion collection, she didn't have to look far. The pop icon teamed up with her 13-year-old daughter Lourdes to create Material Girl, an affordable juniors' clothing line that debuts at Macy's this fall.
This is not Madonna's first foray into designing. In 2007, she worked with H&M to create a limited edition collection, M by Madonna. This time around, her venture into fashion will be long-lasting: She has launched a new company called MG ICON which, in addition to producing the juniors' line, will also put out other collections including eyewear.
The Material Girl collection includes jeans, shoes, fingerless gloves, necklaces and other accessories. Many of the pieces are inspired by Madonna and her daughter's dance roots.
Madonna recently spoke about Material Girl, her relationship with Lourdes (nicknamed Lola) and her fashion risks and regrets.
AP: Why did you want to do a juniors' line?
Madonna: Lola has been bothering me for ages about designing clothes. Stella McCartney is a good friend of mine and she got her mind thinking when Lola was a little girl, about 8 years old. She started giving Lola fabrics and inviting her into her showroom and asking her opinion on things, giving her sketch books and stuff like that. Stella always pushed her. I have a lot of friends who are clothing designers, whether it is Gaultier or Dolce and Gabbana. (Lola) has been around all of the shoots I have done and all of the campaigns I have done. She is always hanging out backstage. The last two tours I have done, she has been working in the wardrobe department. On this last tour she dressed all of the dancers.
AP: What has Lola taught you about fashion?
Madonna: I am boring, basically. She reminds me of me when I was younger. She just goes for it and tries different things. It doesn't look like she thought too much about it. That is how I used to be, but after years and years of everybody commenting on the way I look and dress and being photographed, one starts to become self-conscious and starts to plan things more. You end up judging yourself more, what looks good and what doesn't.
AP: What has it been like to work with your daughter?
Madonna: It is good because she does have good taste in fashion. I respect her taste and I rarely disagree with her.
AP: Was part of you hesitant about Lola designing this line as she would be thrust into the spotlight?
Madonna: That is why I am here talking about the line and she is not. Eventually, I will let her. I feel like she needs to get into high school and focus on her studies, her lessons. She got into the high school of the performing arts. She has a lot of work to do. I don't want her to be distracted. She will eventually be able to talk about it. I am going to be happy when she does because she can speak much more clearly in and in a more informed way than I can about a line she is ultimately designing. I just stand in the background and go, "That's cool. That's not cool."
AP: The clothing is affordable. Why was it important to you to keep the price low?
Madonna: When I was 13 years old, I couldn't afford designer clothes. I couldn't afford expensive clothing. When I designed a line of clothes for H&M, that was one of the things I liked so much about it, that it was really affordable. I think that is one of the nice things about it, that you can make nice clothes at affordable prices.
AP: You are known as being a fashion risk taker. Do you ever look back and wonder, "What was I thinking?"
Madonna: Yeah. I would rather not point them out. I think I had a lot of bad hair moments. In the early '80s, just sometimes I wore purple lipstick or green lipstick. Clothing-wise, I am happy about the way I dressed.
AP: With your music career and with the girls' school you are building in Malawi, was part of you hesitant about taking on another project with this clothing line?
Madonna: If Lola wasn't so completely involved in the line, designing, consulting, whatever you want to call it, I wouldn't do it. Really she does most of the work, honestly.
AP: Who are Lola's fashion influences?
Madonna: Lola spent most of her childhood growing up in England. According to her, she thinks people have more style in London, especially the boys. French boys in particular have very good style, according to Lola. I think she has been very influenced by European fashion. She is very influenced by the music she listens to, different bands she is into. She has favorite models. She takes all kinds of dance classes. She is inspired by different items people wear as dancers, whether it is a hip-hop class or a jazz class or ballet class. ... Of course, she is inspired by my closet. My Christian Dior shoes will go missing and then some fabulous bag I won't be able to find or my skinny jeans, the only pair that fit me are gone.
AP: Has working on this clothing line together bonded you in a different way?
Madonna: I see her more as a creative person, as an artist and less as my daughter as we are working, and then every once and a while I remembered she is my daughter.

ap story on boston.com

[Phuel]

Well, whatever high artistic integrity Madonna once held, has been slipping these last few years. And this line for Macy's, is clearly the first nail on the coffin for her in my view.

Her insistence to be relevant to teenagers is laughable now. She once was leagues ahead of all the Popsters-- now she's just desperate to keep up with the followers.

This line sounds truly horrible. Never a fan of even top designer collaborating with major retailers, whether they be H&M or Target. It always looks so dire. If she were doing a line like what Victoria Beckam is doing, I would be curious. This? Please just stop, Madonna. You have enough money already. Concentrate on your music and prove me wrong by returning with an innovative, rich, beautiful and mature album.

About her daughter Lola: She is very beautiful. But her "style" is no different from the trendy teen minions I see; Very 80s, Docs, Chucks, minis, skulls... She's just a trendy rich girl.

Next up for Madonna: Perfume called Candy-Perfumed Girl. Mark my word.