Footwear News (Nov. 26th 2007)

On The L.A.M.B.

Singer-designer Gwen Stefani is stepping deeper into the shoe scene with the launch of women’s heels

Gwen Stefani is hoping to have another hit on her hands.

This month, the singer-turned-designer is launching a collection of women's heels and fashion footwear under her successful L.A.M.B. label, which since its premiere in 2004 has grown to include ready-to-wear, handbags, a fragrance and women's and kids' sneakers.

"Doing high-end women's shoes was really the next step in making L.A.M.B. [a complete story]," Stefani told Footwear News. "So I decided to go hard core into shoes with my partner-in-crime, Andrea Lieberman, who has been my stylist for [more than] seven years."

The new collection, composed of nearly 30 styles including flats, platforms and stilettos, is being produced by Huntington Beach, Calif.-based Titan Industries, which signed an eight-year deal with Stefani in 2006. "I said, 'no more celebrities,' because dealing with the one we were dealing with [at the time] was not easy," said Joe Ouaknine, CEO of Titan, about his initial hesitancy to jump back into the celeb shoe game. "But this collaboration [with Gwen] was different - night and day."

In fact, it is Stefani's tireless dedication and detail-minded involvement in her business - not to mention her strong sense of personal style - that has made L.A.M.B. (short for "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.") the huge success it is, Ouaknine said, noting that Stefani is often photographed wearing her own designs. "Gwen wants to make sure everything out there is something she would wear and is wearing," he said. "She looks at every item, every shoe. She is part of the process from A to Z. She's committed and enthusiastic [and] she's an amazing salesperson."

Indeed, at a time when actors are singers, models are actors and designers are celebrities, it's difficult to decipher who's doing what and who's doing it well. And the runways have gotten particularly crowded with musicians taking their creative vision from the stage to the catwalk. "Each of these [celebrity] lines has to have its own identity. But the biggest problem with celebrity lines is that they don't," said Robert Burke of Burke Associates, a fashion consultancy firm. "Gwen has her own look that is so identifiable. Consumers gravitate to that and are attracted to it."

Considering the proven marketability of the L.A.M.B. brand, retailers are bullish about Stefani's move into the high-end footwear arena. The new collection, which will sell for between $235 and $420, has been picked up by several top accounts, including Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Kitson and Fred Segal, as well as e-tailers such as eLuxury.com and Shopbop.com.

"The shoes are very Gwen," said Jen Ely, women's contemporary buyer for eLuxury.com, which will stock the new L.A.M.B. footwear beginning in January. "You can definitely tell she's very involved. From design to pricing to quality, she's really hit it right. There are some totally edgy shoes with a huge platform or super high heel, [but] it's a really wearable collection."

Denny Cohen, senior footwear buyer for Shopbop.com, said she bought just about every style in the line. "I loved the hidden platforms, and the woven pumps and cap-toe pumps were sensational. Even if we didn't also have the apparel, we would have bought the shoes because they are outstanding," she said.

Stefani's first foray into footwear came in 2005 when she signed with Westlake Village, Calif.-based K-Swiss subsidiary Royal Elastics to release a collection of L.A.M.B. sneakers for women. The inaugural four styles, aptly named Love, Angel, Music and Baby, were embellished versions of existing Royal Elastics styles. The collection now includes more than 10 styles.

"At first, I just wanted to create guys' sneakers for women," Stefani said. "I went with [Royal Elastics] because they're a creative brand and they put out great product and really give me creative freedom."

Royal Elastics actually tried its hand at creating a fashion collection for L.A.M.B. in 2006, before the license for heel and nonsneaker footwear was taken over by Titan. "Honestly, sneakers are our specialty and that's what we focus on," explained Royal Elastics President David Nichols. "We want the L.A.M.B. brand to be all it can be in the marketplace, and they needed to work with experts [for the women's line]."

In addition to L.A.M.B., Stefani is also at the helm of her budding Harajuku Lovers brand. The Harajuku Lovers concept began with merchandise sold during her "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." tour in 2005 and has since expanded into a standalone brand.

"[Harajuku Lovers] started as a novelty line of T-shirts that went with the album, but it has grown into this world of Japanese inspirations," said Stefani. "The whole story was about the album. I never thought about it going anywhere [else], but it has really taken off."

The Harajuku Lovers offering now includes T-shirts, tracksuits, sleepwear, sneakers, handbags and watches. Kids' sneakers are slated to launch for fall '08. The adult sneaker line is currently an all-doors program at both Nordstrom and Journeys and, according to Nichols, has surpassed the L.A.M.B. sneaker line in terms of volume. "Harajuku Lovers deserved to be something larger and greater," he said. "It was a two-tier strategy, with L.A.M.B. being very high-end and Harajuku Lovers being more accessible."

Beyond her big plans for her fashion empire, the ever-busy Stefani also has a number of other projects up her sleeve. In early 2008, she will head back into the studio to record a long-awaited new album with her band, No Doubt, and she said she is looking forward to some downtime at home with her husband, musician Gavin Rossdale, and their 18-month-old son, Kingston. "My plate is really full right now," said Stefani. "It's not that I just have my name on things. I'm in every meeting. The final product is not where I get [the most satisfaction] because it's about the process for me. It's about the demo when I do an album and not about the record."