LOS ANGELES — The celebrity hyphenate circle has expanded again, as actress-singer Mandy Moore has become actress-singer-designer.
Moore has teamed up with Kaylor Schwartz Inc., parent of 10-month-old 2 Love contemporary T-shirts, for a vintage-styled collection of Ts. Inspiration for the new line, Mblem., comes from Moore’s album, “Coverage,” released last year featuring her renditions of songs from the Sixties to the Eighties.
“Simplicity and comfort are the most important factors in clothing,” said Moore in a statement, whose movie, “Saved,” is due out May 28. A fan of Stella McCartney, Chloé and Narciso Rodriguez, Moore has a “huge interest in fashion,” according to manager Jon Leshay, and was waiting for the right collaboration.
Related Articles
“We’ve been approached by many big companies, but Mandy goes against the grain, and wanted to do something more special, more specific, and this represented the best fit,” he said.
You May Also Like
Kristi Kaylor, president of Kaylor Schwartz and designer behind 2 Love, said Moore is “hands-on” with the project, from picking colors and fabrics to attending fittings.
Music lyric phrases comprise the design theme of the first fall-transition collection shipping May 30. Among the one-liners are Blondie’s “Gonna getcha, getcha, getcha” and The Beatles’ “Got to get you into my life.”
The 45-piece collection uses pure cotton in its basic fitted T-shirts, tanks and fashion bodies, such as a plunging V-neck look and a distressed, ripped thermal style. Pigment-dyed charcoal, rust, baby pink and poppy yellow are among the colors of the washed-down silhouettes.
Mblem. will wholesale from $24 to $28 and will target specialty stores like Lisa Kline in Los Angeles, Tracey Ross in West Hollywood and Scoop in New York.
Kaylor said 2 Love’s 500-base wholesale account list, which includes Fred Segal Santa Monica, Bella Cosa here, Belle Gray in Sherman Oaks, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, gives the firm a leg up in distribution.
No stranger to celebrities, Kaylor co-founded the now-defunct Voxxy.com Web site for teenagers five years ago, which signed Jennifer Aniston as a spokeswoman. Now, she works with starlets for 2 Love’s celebrity-designed division. Jessica Alba, Brittany Murphy and Michelle Branch are among the past personalities whose retail-distributed designs have benefited Step Up Women’s Network. Due to ship April 30 are designs by Mischa Barton and Mena Suvari.
“We’ve worked with all kinds of celebrities and there are lots of personalities out there, but this was all about Mandy,” said Kaylor, who expects Mblem. to bring in $2 million to $3 million in first-year sales. “We wouldn’t have done this deal if it weren’t with Mandy. She has an amazing sense of self and style.”