From Backstreet to Britney, designers cash in

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Jul 01, 2099 Source: Molly Knight - Fairchild Publications Submitted By: Reaching the youth market: The hottest labels are worn by the trendiest young acts NEW YORK - When the Backstreet Boys recently paid a visit to the MTV studios here, they attracted so many teenage fans, it created gridlock in Times Square. Over the next five days, 9.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the band's live appearance, according to MTV. And this summer, this super hot pop group will play 46 shows in 34 European cities. Now who wants to dress the Backstreet Boys? Everyone. Tommy Hilfiger, BCBG and Versace are already wardrobing the band. Not to mention Sears, the presenting sponsor of the band's 50-city North American tour, September through December, which plans to dress them in its private label, Canyon River Blues. The good news is there's a whole slew of hot, up-and-coming bands that have Backstreet Boys potential and are just waiting for the right brand, designer or retailer to come along. "Sponsorship is all about the hot new bands,'' said Barry Blevins, fashion director at Rolling Stone magazine. "Designers today are trying to link up with any musician they can, but it's the new and up-and-coming artists who are hip and reach that youth market.'' But the relationships are often difficult to manage and maintain. Giorgio Armani had a six-year relationship with Ricky Martin, but when Martin became an overnight sensation in the last few months (Time magazine cover, Today show appearances), Armani moved quickly to reinforce the relationship. Moreover, what it means to actually dress a band is given a variety of interpretations. Lots of people may provide clothes, but there's no guarantee the musicians will ever wear them. "The majority of these musicians won't wear a certain product on stage, so actually trying to dress them is futile,'' said Dick Baker, chief executive officer of OP. Still, Baker is spending $4-million (US) to link his brand to music. The way he's doing it, however, is by sponsoring the actual music event. This summer, OP is working with Spin magazine to advertise a sweepstakes for consumers to win an all-expenses-paid trip to any summer concert of their choice. And there's a lot to choose from, with artists such as Britney Spears, Lauryn Hill, N' Sync, Sugar Ray and the Goo Goo Dolls all scheduled to tour this summer. "It's definitely teen music and pop acts that will be cleaning up from coast to coast this summer,'' said Alan White, editor-in-chief of Spin magazine. If there's one designer who has positioned himself as the leader of the trend, it's Tommy Hilfiger, who dubbed 1999 "The year of music.'' "Tommy is the best at it," said Baker. "He invented fashion and music.'' Hilfiger also has the budget to make the relationships happen. This summer, Tommy Jeans is the presenting sponsor of Britney Spears' 48-city North American tour (June 28 to Sept. 5), providing all her outfits for appearances on and offstage and tying in retail contests where consumers can win free tickets. Meanwhile, Tommy Girl, the fragrance, will sponsor Lilith Fair, the all-women concert that will tour across the continent from July 8 to Aug. 31. According to Andy Hilfiger, vice-president public relations of Tommy Jeans, 75% of this year's marketing budget for Tommy Jeans is allocated to music. An exclusive sponsorship, such as the one Tommy Jeans has with Spears, is a deal coveted by most brands, but also one that's tough to negotiate. Lauryn Hill, for example, has not only worked with brands such as PNB for the Billboard awards, but was most recently outfitted exclusively by Levi's for her first international tour and is frequently dressed by Armani. According to Spin's White, the competition to dress Hill is fierce. "It comes down to simple arithmetic: How many Lauryn Hills are out there?'' Not that giants like Armani, Levi's and Hilfiger own the category. BC Ethic, a $25-million streetwear company, is dressing such hot groups as Barenaked Ladies and C Note. BC Ethic's relationships don't involve signed contracts and the company makes a point of not shipping unsolicited clothes. "I'm not chasing music stars,'' said BC Ethic's Jim Huber. "I'm communicating with them at an equal level. The only way I'd be involved with a band is if they actually like the product. I think it's kind of arrogant just to send out free trunks of clothes.'' Jeans giant Levi's takes a different approach and is involved with over 200 music sponsorships this year. According to Joe Townsend, manager of music sponsorships at Levi's, the company's main focus this summer is music marketing. Levi's is linking up with three of this summer's hottest bands, the Goo Goo Dolls, Sugar Ray and Fastball, sponsoring the Levi's '99 Fuse tour. The 43-date tour will feature a medley of up-and-coming bands and deejays who will perform on multiple stages and in tents, creating a festival-like atmosphere. Other jeans companies stepping into the music scene this summer include: Wrangler, which is dressing hit country music star George Strait both on- and offstage; DKNY Jeans, which recently sponsored the Z100 Zootopia concert in New York in conjunction with Bloomingdale's; and Diesel, which dresses many musicians, including Ricky Martin, in its Style Lab collection. Meanwhile, Alan White looks forward to a profitable union between fashion and music. "It's not necessarily boom time in the music industry, but music is still selling," he said. "With this wave of exploding teen acts, it will be a good year for the record business.'' And a good year for music also means a good year for fashion, he said: "The designers are eager and the artists are in a position to pick and choose." Comment on this item. Next Item: Disney's Backstreet Show Is Preteen Dream Prev Item: Italy Designers Like Sporty Look