Luxury Brands & Celebrities: An enduring branding romance

12 Apr '06

3 min read

Celebrity endorsement of luxury fashion is hardly a new phenomenon as it has been around for several centuries.

Charles Worth, the man who invented Haute Couture in Paris in the nineteenth century understood the importance of linking celebrities to brands, even before this was recognised as an important marketing communications tool.

To promote his fashion house La Maison Worth, he sought a high society lady and an influencer of the court fashions Princess Von Metternich, wife of the then Austria's ambassador to France and close friend of Napoleon's wife Empress Eugenie.

This celebrity's patronage and connection with La Maison Worth contributed immensely to the success and status of this couture house as the most influential in the world at its time.

Celebrities are extremely important and valuable to brands especially in the luxury fashion sector. There is no argument about it. They wield enormous power in fashion circles and can contribute to making and breaking brands. Fashion designers pamper them and brand managers recognise their potential to brands and utilise this effectively.

Celebrity endorsement does not however begin and end with shooting and printing the photo of a beautiful model in a fashion magazine. There are several factors and dimensions involved in choosing a celebrity to endorse a brand. It is however worthwhile to understand what the true value of celebrity endorsement is.

First of all, who are celebrities? Celebrities are people that exert significant influence in several facets of the society ranging from arts, music, movies and television, sports, culture, politics and even religion.

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