Every time awards season comes around or a movie premiere arrives, you hear how celebrities are wearing designer gowns or outfits free of charge. These stars could probably afford to purchase those designs and accessories anyway, so why do they get them for free? The answer is simple. The celebrities provide free advertising and start trends.
Designer Freebies = Free Marketing
Fashion designers make their sample garments and a few made-to-spec items available for magazines and celebrities. The designer gets free promotion when a magazine features their pieces in a fashion spread. They get the most exposure when a celebrity is seen in one of their designs at a major event. A-list celebrities and up-and-comers are courted the most. This is because most of the major media outlets and blogs will have a picture of that celebrity in the designer outfit. If the celebrity looks good in it, that is the best free advertising a designer could ask for.
Turning Runway Trends Into Reality
Even though designers have runway shows and their designs are featured in magazine layouts, these presentations of the designs are mainly for art. Some of the more fashion savvy women can't tell straight from the runway or from a fashion spread if a designer outfit or trend will look good on them. This is where celebrities come in.
Last month Karl Lagerfeld presented the Chanel 2013 Resort line. In his usually theatrical manner, the collection was presented in an over-the-top fashion. While beautiful, the designs didn't seem wearable. Most recently Actress Emma Stone wore a white and rose-colored applique dress to the Los Angeles premiere of "The Amazing Spider-Man." This is a dress from the Chanel 2013 Resort collection worn by a model in a pastel-colored wig. During the resort show the dress is captivating but still is questionable for wear outside of the show. When Emma Stone wore the same dress, bustle and all, the idea of wearing such a dress in public seems more of a reality. The more stars who wear this look, the more the public will likely grab onto the trend. Then Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can take credit for reinventing the bustle and making it trendy again. It's a big gamble with no additional cost.
Designers gifting celebrities with free clothing is not catering to the their ego -- at least not always. It is smart marketing of their apparel and merchandise. If that celebrity is able to start a trend with that free dress, then women are more than likely to try and copy that look by either purchasing the items worn by the celebrity, or purchasing similar items at a cheaper price. Either way, the designer scores a win for free. Stop questioning why celebrities receive those designer freebies -- it's just the designer being business savvy.
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