Makeup, skincare and fragrance have become part of the bigger picture of fashion houses, giving loyal fans more reasons to stay engaged with their most-coveted labels.
There seems to be a natural progression from fashion label to beauty brand for many of the world’s leading fashion houses, which, of course, makes perfect sense. To be successful in fashion, you need to understand women and aesthetics. Following with a beauty range is the next logical step.
Perhaps the most notable example is legendary luxury fashion house, Chanel. In 1910, Coco Chanel opened her first store at 21 Rue Cambon in Paris. It started inauspiciously as a hat store – and went on to become one of the world’s most famous fashion brands.
Chanel has changed the course of fashion – you can thank her for creating the little black dress and evening trousers for women, which were groundbreaking and era-defining at the time. The influential designer was also well ahead of her time in merging the worlds of fashion and beauty. In 1921 the iconic Chanel No 5 fragrance was created. It became an instant hit and is the best-selling perfume of all time.
In similar fashion, The House of Dior, synonymous with dramatic evening dresses and sculpted silhouettes, burst on the Paris fashion scene in 1947. Dior’s revolutionary ‘New Look’ was accompanied by a fragrance, Miss Dior, the finishing touch designed to ‘leave a trail of desire in a woman’s wake’. This was followed by the now-famous Rouge Dior signature lipstick in 1953, a natural extension of its emboldened fashion offerings.
Today both houses of Chanel and Dior offer a full complement of beauty products, from fragrance to makeup and skincare – in addition to their couture fashion design and accessories.
Givenchy followed, launching in 1952 as a line of ‘separates’. The revered fashion house’s route to first-class beauty was a little different. Hubert de Givenchy originally created the brand’s first perfume, L’Interdit, for his beloved muse Audrey Hepburn in 1957. He was heard to describe her as ‘an enchantress, inspiring love and beauty, and fairies never quite disappear altogether’. An addictive floral- woody composition, it has been said that Hepburn wore it for a year before its release to the public.
Further ahead, in 1989 Givenchy launched makeup and then skincare. Le Prisme Visage face powder was one of Givenchy’s early beauty products – and reportedly much- loved by Hepburn. This product was revolutionary with its four variants of colour, which can be applied separately or all together depending on the colour and texture needs of the user’s skin. This product is still one of the brand’s top- selling makeup items.
Hermès, long renowned for its luxury leather accessories (think Birkin status) and fragrances (the first Hermès perfume, Eau d’Hermès, was made in 1951 and is still regarded as one of the finest fragrances), entered late into the beauty scene. It was only in 2020 that Hermès launched its first makeup range, a line of lipsticks inspired by its iconic Birkin bag and silk scarves. Next came a range of nail polishes and blushes in 2022, and an eye makeup range is expected later this year.
Tom Ford launched his fashion label in 2005 and by 2006 he had signed with Estee Lauder to distribute and oversee the Tom Ford beauty brand and in 2022 Estee Lauder bought the business. The essence of Tom Ford beauty has always been glamour, and that has seamlessly transitioned into a large range of exquisite beauty products.
One of the latest fashion brands to start making beauty products is La Perla. The brand launched in 1954, specialising in evening wear and swimwear but is best known for its luxury lingerie. In 2019 La Perla launched its ‘couture’ fragrance collection, a selection of eight unique fragrances. Lipsticks, mascaras and eyebrow products have now followed with more products on the way. Each product is as special as its trademark sought-after lingerie.
I feel sure that beauty ranges from fashion labels will be the norm and not the exception, and with that a welcome expansion of the beauty landscape. CBM
