Beyonce Plans to Bring the Heat

Beyoncé plans to bring on the Heat in February 2010 with the launching of her first ever perfume. The fragrance, entitled Heat, is estimated to garner $100 million in retail sales worldwide in its first year. And at least half of that figure is expected to come from U.S. sales. During an exclusive interview with WWD, the mega star expressed her excitement in creating the scent. “I’ve been working on it for a while now. I was on tour for a year, and I have meet-and-greets with fans. I’ve never in my life gotten so many compliments. Coty has their own testing, but that was my testing! The fans loved it. They were like, ‘I love that, I’m getting that, why isn’t it out right now? I need it!” said Knowles with a laugh. “What inspires me [both in music and product creation] is love, passion — something that makes me want to be better, to do more,” she said. “Knowing that I have people who look to me — because thank God I’ve had so many great opportunities — I don’t take it for granted. Young girls can see me, and think, ‘Wow. Maybe if I work hard and I’m focused, I can do the same thing.’ And they absolutely can. It’s not just about me being a singer. It’s about knowing that I have people who look at my life, and to know I can inspire them inspires me.”

Heat features top notes of red vanilla orchid, magnolia, neroli and blush peach; a heart of honeysuckle nectar, almond macaroon and crème de musk, and a dry down of giant sequoia milkwood, tonka bean and amber. Heat will be sold in roughly 2,000 department and specialty store doors, including Macy’s. The assemble includes eaux de parfum in three sizes — 1 oz. for $39; 1.7 oz. for $49, and 3.4 oz. for $59 — as well as a 6.8-oz. Gold Sparkling Body Lotion for $24. On February 3, 2010, Beyonce will make an in-store appearance at the world’s famous Macys in Herald Square to promote the fragrance.

Here's a sneak peak of the ad campaign video

“Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration”

Suzanna

Fekkai Classic to Change Retail Address in 2010

Starting next year famed Hollywood Hair extraodinare Frederic Fekkai will be selling his products at Walgreens and Target. Although this strikes as a great idea to conservative consumers, Sephora isn't too keen on the idea. In response to Fekkai's decision, the specialty retail store announced that it will be dropping the line. What's my response to this: its Sephora's loss and our gain!

The classic items that we're all too familiar with - Glossing, Full Volume, and Technician Color lines will be sold at Walgreens and Target. However, the recently launched Fekkai Advanced will continue to be sold at high-end retailers - Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. Even though the lines are changing addresses, the prices will remain high-end, with products set to run between $20 and $30, just as they did at Sephora.

This will be a great way for Fekkai to introduce his line of products to consumers who normally wouldn't frequent Sephora or Neiman Marcus. Most of the time it is usually the store, and not price, that turns the consumer off from buying (or even inquiring about) the product. With the new year comes change and this is definitely a change that we all can agree with!

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"

Suzanna

Forever 21 to Launch Beauty Line

Fast-fashion retail chain Forever 21 is prepared to debut its highly anticipated 'Love and Beauty' assortment.


The collection will feature an array of beauty and makeup products such as brushes, mascara in purple, cobalt blue and black, a smoky eye shadow palette, lip gloss and glitter eyeliners in silver and cobalt blue -- a trendy product line that goes well with the retailer's clothes. Oh, and did I mention that they're all under $10!

“It made sense as a next step,” said Forever 21 spokeswoman Kirstin Nagle. “If you think of our customer, she loves being on trend and, to complete her look, we had everything in our stores except the cosmetics piece.”

“We are using a lot of the vendors that are making prestige cosmetics. It is the same quality as prestige vendors, but at Forever 21 prices,” Nagle said.

According to WWD, this will mark the first major beauty brand of a fast-fashion retailer on U.S. soil. In Europe, the only beauty product Forever 21 sold was an occasional lip gloss. But Swedish competitor H&M has been selling its own makeup collection for some time now. Spanish fashion company Zara, features in-house fragrances, and UK retail giant Topshop announced its own beauty line for spring next year, so it seems likely that other fashion retail chains will soon follow suit.

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"

Suzanna

Alicia Keys to Make Designer Debut

According to WWD, singer Alicia Keys will make her design debut later this month. The 12-time Grammy Award winner has collaborated with jewelry designer Gisèle Theriault to launch The Barber’s Daughters Jewelry. The collection of silver jewelry, with positive inscriptions of poetry and prayers of Dr. Masaru Emoto (the author of “Hidden Messages in Water”), will launch Nov. 23 and 24 at a pop-up store located at 26 Clinton Street in lower Manhattan. The jewelry brand is part of the new company AK Worldwide, which will handle the singer’s nonmusical endeavors. Keys will make an appearance on the 24th. No word on whether she’ll belt out one of her soulful ballads.


"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"
Suzanna

London Fashion Week: Graeme Black RTW Spring 2010

According to WWD, Graeme Black showed an Indian fantasy collection inspired by the drape, print, and regality of the headpiece. There was a ruby silk gown with cut-out shoulders and an eye-popping, tourmaline blue one paired with a shrunken, embroidered jacket.

Black’s details were fanciful: Claret-colored long silk fringe dangled down the back of chocolate brown dresses, while a clutch of fluttery blue chiffon petals formed a skirt. The models’ yellow and white diamond and emerald jewels, however, didn’t come from Jaipur but from nearby Bond Street – courtesy of Moussaieff.

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"
Suzanna

Beyonce and Mom Launch Sasha Fierce

Sasha Fierce isn't just Beyonce's alter ego, its attitude, fashion and lifestyle! According to wwd
Beyoncé and Tina Knowles are looking to capitalize more on Sasha Fierce. Utilizing the name of the singer’s alter ego and third solo album, “I Am…Sasha Fierce,” the mother and daughter design team plans to launch a new junior apparel label, Sasha Fierce for Deréon, for back-to-school selling.

The collection is inspired by Beyoncé’s stage presence and includes a full range of sportswear, outerwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear, lingerie and jewelry. Positioned alongside the company’s Deréon junior label, which is similarly priced, "Sasha Fierce" has so far been picked up by department stores including Macy’s and Dillard’s and specialty stores: Jimmy Jazz and Against All Odds. The collection, Tina said, it's “edgier and trendier and reflects Sasha Fierce’s daring and outgoing attitude.”

The jewelry, shoes and eyewear, she added, “are really over the top” with large chains made in mixed metals such as silver with gold, heavily studded shoes and oversize sunglasses like the ones Beyoncé wears on tour. The clothes are a little more subdued to make the accessories stand out — a one-shoulder dress, black bodysuit, fake leather jacket with oversize collar, leggings and destructed jeans with mesh and lace details lining the ripped material.

“When the tour started, we noticed the definite style of it,” Tina explained. “Thierry Muglerdesigned the clothes for the tour, but we really wanted to celebrate the style and interpret that into a collection.”

Beyoncé, who said in a statement “the line really exudes a different side of my personality, which I am grateful that I can express,” had a lot of say in the creation of the collection, Tina said.

“She definitely tells me what she likes and what she doesn’t. It was her suggestion to line the rips of the jeans with the mesh and lace,” she said. “It makes the jeans look really different from what’s out there.”

Tina said while they launched the Sasha Fierce for Deréon collection to pay homage to the tour, she said they would happily keep it going if customers respond to it at retail.

“We have had tremendous success with our graphic T-shirt business based on the lyrics from Beyoncé’s new CD,” said Philip Davis, president of Deréon’s parent company, Beyond Productions LLC. “We believe the Sasha Fierce collection will enjoy the same success at retail and coincide with the success of Beyoncé’s world tour.”

The collection wholesales from $25 to $75. Davis declined to give first-year sales expectations for the label.

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"

- Suzanna