Two icons have come together through Bebe’s fall 2024 campaign with superstar multihyphenate Ciara taking the creative lead on the brand’s latest capsule collection.
Now nearly 50, Bebe’s legacy as a contemporary fashion brand has been steadfast in its approach to deliver always on-trend, body-confident looks that empower women in their everyday lives. Founded by Manny Mashouf in San Francisco in 1976, Bebe filled a white space in the market for a demographic that was neither junior nor bridge — establishing itself as one of the first major contemporary fashion brands. Today, the Bebe brand is managed by Bluestar Alliance, a New-York based brand management company.
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Bebe’s designs have always been created with a confident, sexy and modern woman in mind, offering high style, premium quality and adaptability for women to consistently inspire confidence. The Bebe loyalist seeks out flirty dresses, body-con styles, sophisticated separates and loves to proudly wear the distinctive Bebe logo. In the last few years, under the leadership of Bluestar Alliance, the bold brand has gone from strength to strength, staying true to the Bebe’s standout DNA, allowing for growth in design, category extensions, marketing excellence, e-commerce capabilities, retail and wholesale distribution globally.
Bebe has become a lifestyle brand synonymous with eye-catching designs, distinct silhouettes, and alluring details that captivate its growing customer base. As marketing experts, Bluestar Alliance closely studies its customers, what inspires them and their evolving wardrobe needs. It’s become clear that as the Bebe customer moves through her life, she seeks to make a statement for every occasion and admires those public figures, that embody a strong, unshakable independence and confidence.
As previously reported by WWD, Bebe’s latest collaboration is in partnership with Ciara. The multihyphenate known for her Grammy-winning music and fashion-forward style, will serve as the brand ambassador and creative director for a capsule collection that speaks to a shared appreciation for a sexy, glamourous lifestyle. Ciara will serve as the face of the fall 2024 campaign which will launch across the U.S. on Bebe.com, social media, digital media, out-of-home and in print. The capsule spans across all of Bebe’s key categories including dresses, denim, sportswear and accessories.
When Bebe approached her to collaborate, Ciara told Fairchild Studio “it was an instant yes,” sharing that she has always thought fondly of the brand having made memories in high school of going to the Bebe store in the mall to find the perfect standout looks.
“I remember wearing Bebe to high school parties, going shopping and out to dinner with friends,” she said. “I had my Bebe logo t-shirt, which was a classic. I don’t know what girl didn’t have that as a staple in her closet during that time!”
For both Bebe and Ciara, the collaboration was an opportunity to infuse Ciara’s style, which the brand said has been often imitated but never replicated. Ciara said the “partnership and collaboration were really fun” as she loves to express herself and her style in new and different ways.
“I love to create,” Ciara told Fairchild Studio. “I love to tell a story and above all, I love to build things that inspire those around me — whether it’s with my music, my skin care line or my Bebe collaboration capsule. There’s no greater joy than creating something reflecting my authentic self, my journey and my most confident, sharing it with those around me. Bebe was one of the first brands that was bold, trendy and made girls feel confident. Bebe was also a brand that always made me stand out when I would wear it.”
To begin the design process for the collection, Ciara worked with Bebe’s design team, answering questions that would unlock her aesthetic to pair it with the Bebe brand.
“I received a brief from Bluestar Alliance’s marketing and design teams, with questions and considerations that helped frame out what I wanted to design in terms of core styles, key trends, categories, occasions, texture, fits, details, materials and overall designs that I love,” said Ciara. Together, Ciara and the Bebe design team looked at favorite pieces, vintage silhouette references, fabrications, stylingand accessories.
“We all have our favorite denim, tees, jackets and dresses that make us feel powerful and that we can conquer the day,” she said. “I wanted my collection to be a capsule built upon the reflection of these exact styles. I spent a few weeks going through all my favorite styles and looks that really represent who I am and what makes me feel my best.”
Throughout the process and collection, Ciara said that fans will see that nostalgia was a key factor, acknowledging her love for today’s cool Y2K moment in fashion and her commitment to an ever-present fearless, confident attitude in dressing.
With trends of the moment in mind, Ciara said she includes the 90s, early 2000s and her current style as touch points for the collection’s inspiration. And to truly unlock the essence of the designs, the singer reflected on some other favorite moments in music and fashion from throughout her career, finding inspiration in her style from now and then.
“I spent a lot of time looking at all of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe – the looks I have worn and loved over the years,” said Ciara. “I was most inspired by the styles that I have kept for decades that feel just as relevant to me today as when I first wore those years ago. They represent my sense of style perfectly. I pulled together blazers, dresses, denim, joggers, hoodies and accessories, and created an inspiration and mood deck that showed themes, product categories, color, texture, silhouettes, trims and details that are authentically me.”
As a result, she describes the pieces as being “confident, edgy, tom-boy sexy and full of drama.” Notably, the timing of the collection also aligned with the preparation to go on tour with Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes.
“Our collaboration is very serendipitous,” said Ciara. “Bebe has always been a brand that I felt connected to, and it’s been exciting to apply my sense of style, which is a little bit more edgy and tomboy-inspired, into the creative direction of the fall 2024 collection campaign and capsule collection.”
A few of Ciara’s favorite pieces from the collection include a gold satin maxi dress with gold chain detail, a bold shoulder blazer dress, an oversized ribbed sweater dress, a sequin jogger set and a teddy oversized coat which she pairs with a leather jogger set.
Ciara said she wants the Bebe customer to feel powerful, sexy and confident. “A great outfit that you love can set you up to feel your best and be ready for anything. As women, we have many jobs, and we deserve to feel empowered by what we wear every day.”
Importantly, Bebe’s collaboration with Ciara represents the ongoing transformative growth that the brand has undergone under the management of Bluestar Alliance, the brand’s parent company. As a brand management company, Bluestar Alliance focuses on developing brands by assessing a brand’s foundation and brand DNA, and then reviews opportunities to provide optimal structure and resources to advance growth across design, marketing, e-commerce, licensing, retail and global distribution.
Ralph Gindi, cofounder and chief operating officer of Bluestar Alliance, said that as he thinks of Bebe’s DNA, and the future of the brand, Ciara is an excellent choice to partner with, calling her a natural fit and acknowledging her incredible talent, cultural influence and great sense of style. For fall 2024, Bebe’s partnership with Ciara allowed the brand to team up on a comprehensive collection of designs, supportive by an energizing, creative campaign, through the lens of a global trendsetter, entrepreneur and mother.
“Ciara knows herself and she has a clear design aesthetic,” said Gindi. “She immediately had a very specific creative direction for the capsule and what she wanted to bring to Bebe. She was deeply involved in the design process and provided a very impressive and thoughtful creative document to inspire our design team. You can see that the capsule combines Bebe’s glamorous and contemporary fashion with Ciara’s impeccable high fashion and edgy sensibility.”
Further, Gindi told Fairchild Studio that the capsule collection is a celebration of the Bebe attitude and Bebe as a lifestyle brand.
“Ciara’s commitment to a message of empowerment, confidence and positivity aligns with the Bebe brand. As our ambassador Ciara will ignite a new and fresh brand conversation, drive buzz and allow Bebe to be introduced to her fanbase in an unexpected and exciting way. The Bebe brand has always been about a bold, confident attitude, body positivity and standout glamour. When you look your best, you have the power to achieve anything. Ciara is one of the most talented and adored superstars. She has had an incredible career and she exudes the qualities and star power we want Bebe loyalists to feel when they wear Bebe.”
Looking ahead, Gindi said that consumers can continue to expect Bebe to deliver bold lifestyle collections, with a promise of a striking and confident style, to ensure Bebe brand fans feel their best from morning to night. As the brand demand continues to grow, Bebe has recently added the swimwear category to its portfolio of category licensees. Bebe swimwear will launch in summer 2025. In the future, Bebe will continue to embrace partnerships and collaborations with talent and brands that build engaging shopping experiences supported by marketing campaigns that celebrate Bebe’s core values.