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Celebrity-backed fashion lines don’t necessarily have the best reputation, but the appeal of bringing an A-lister with a huge following onboard is tempting for brands – and, on occasion, it works.

Sometimes the transition from actor or singer into a budding multihyphenate fashion designer is seamless—and it shows, with brands that make headlines for their runway shows and lines that have lasted more than a decade.

In the end, we’ll let you be the judge on which ones are worthy of your hard-earned cash.

Drew House by Justin Beiber

Drew House is one of the most mysterious fashion brands in the industry. Back in 2018, Bieber quietly trademarked “THE HOUSE OF DREW,” “MAISON DREW,” and simply, “DREW.” The name is an homage to Justin Bieber’s middle name which is — you guessed it — Drew.

The most telltale features of the Drew House clothing line are the smiley face logo with the word “Drew” used in place of a mouth.

Unlike other celebrities who lend their name to clothing lines, most items in the Drew House line are refreshingly affordable.

Fenty by Rihanna

Rihanna collaborated with Puma in 2014, before launching her first cosmetic brand Fenty Beauty in 2017.

As reported in the New York Times last year, Rihanna is set to be the first black female designer in LVMH, the parent company of haute couture design houses Dior, Givenchy and Fendi.

Rihanna is ranked 37 in Forbes’ 2019 list of America’s richest self-made women, with an estimated net worth of $600 million.

Victoria by Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham

In September 2008 the former Spice Girls member launched her namesake fashion brand and, in the decade since has become a highly acclaimed designer.

Although the brand has reportedly struggled to turn a profit, there’s no question about her talent or taste, which has evolved as she’s turned out runway after runway.

Her luxury collections are praised by editors for their day-to-night wearability, as evidenced by V herself, who tends to dress mostly in her own line’s clothes.

Kendall + Kylie Kendall and Kylie Jenner

After years of collaborating with other brands, Kendall and Kylie Jenner launched their very own ready-to-wear and accessories line, Kendall + Kylie, back in 2015.

Since then, they’ve sold trendy, affordable pieces as well as more expensive capsule collections for retail outlets like Neiman Marcus.

But the business hasn’t been without controversy from time to time—including a 2017 misstep in which the sisters repurposed images of musicians like Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. on T-shirts without permission.

“We are huge fans of their music and it was not our intention to disrespect these cultural icons in any way,” Kendall wrote in a Twitter apology. “The tee shirts have been pulled from retail and all images have been removed.

We will use this as an opportunity to learn from these mistakes and again, we are very sorry.”

Alexa Chung

With numerous extremely successful design collaborations under her belt over the years (including Marks & Spencer, Superga and AG Denim), fashion maven Alexa Chung decided to go it alone, launching her very own label in 2016, Alexachung.

The high-end pieces draw on her well-known vintage style and have clearly been a hit with fans as, after a few individual shows, the designer joined the London Fashion Week schedule, where she now sits alongside some of the biggest names in the business.

Draper James by Reese Witherspoon

 

Reese Witherspoon is already an award-winning actor and the head of a production company, but her ambition doesn’t stop there. In 2015 she launched Draper James, a clothing and homewares company that serves up timeless Southern style—the kinds of pieces you could imagine Witherspoon using every single day. But just because she’s in charge doesn’t mean you have to be a movie star to afford the looks: Pieces range from $98 up to just over $200 for a dress. We also love the brand’s collaboration with Eloquii, which makes super-stylish pieces—now with Witherspoon’s signature Southern vibe—for plus-size women.