A report on Topshops Celebrity collaborations

A report on Topshop’s Celebrity Collaborations

I recently did a project on female empowering females and some of the names I mentioned in that brief are relevant to this topic, creating a stark contrast to my recent work. I am talking about celebrities involvement with Toyshop clothing lines, which often leads to scandal. The two big names I am most interested in are Beyonce and Kate Moss who are often in the public eye creating an ideal fro women to look up to. I mentioned Beyonce in my previous brief as she is known for bringing empowerment to women, teaching them to love their bodies and embrace their individual beauty. These facts make her involvement with her IVY PARK x Topshop range more shocking as it has come to light over recent years that her range used sweatshop like conditions to create each of her lines, with workers in below average working and living conditions. Mostly female workers are alleged to have been working up to 10 hours a day plus overtime for around £4.30 a day, 5 days a week. These numbers come as a shock as the IVY PARK range as said by Beyonce herself is meant to “support and inspire women who understand that beauty is more than your physical appearance.” It’s not a very inspiring image having female labourers tirelessly working hours upon hours to create Beyonce’s vision, especially as it is known that the workers are made to share dormitories and are locked in the factory like animals in a cage, for what is said to be a ‘safety precaution’. 

Similarly to Beyonce’s line model Kate Moss has brought out a number of collaborations, which too have been involved in sweatshop scandals. Her 2007 range was accused of using slave labour to create the clothes, with migrant workers being made to pay £725 to fly themselves to a Mauritius sweatshop from countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India, only to arrive to crowded living dormitories and 70 hours of work a week. From which most of the workers received between 22p- 40p an hour. There have been more times than these two in which Topshop has been involved in labour troubles however, these two occurrences are of more interest because of their A list celebrity endorsements. Workers on the Kate Moss range were reported to be shipped back to their home countries with no job if they complain about the conditions or work.

The high profile names attached to these lines should face some back lash for these allegations especially as they are two celebrities who push female empowerment, and the idea that women should be in control of their own lives. 

 There have been claims that the influencers may not have known how the clothes are manufactured when putting their names to the lines, however Beyonce is know to be thorough and it was known that she was very full on in the whole process of creating the IVY PARK brand, there is no way she wouldn’t have at least been told of where and how the clothes were to be produced. These claims are also ruled out as the first accusation of labour abuse on the range came in 2016, however in 2017, a report was made by The Telegraph showing that the same contracts were still being used in the same Sri Lankan Factory as was first accused, with this information public for at least a year and Beyonce’s name still attached it makes you question just how bothered about other females lives she really is. It could seem form on outside opinion that she only takes interest in other women feeling strong and beautiful when it profits her.

Topshop and collaborations started early on in the brands life, with their first collaborations coming out in 1994 with the brand Red or Dead, since then they have brought out many ranges collaborating with designers and celebrities, to name a few a range with designer Mary Katrantzou in 2012, a collaboration with model Kate Moss from 2007, their Ivy park range which is a constant now in stores since launching in 2016, and their most recent collaboration, a party season range with Designer Michael Halpern from November 2018.

Collaborations are a great way to expand Topshop's style of product, stepping back from their trend following ways collabs bring in a new perspective of design, new styles and ways of thinking when it comes to the styling of fashion could have a big impact on their audience range, as in my survey I found that some people stopped shopping at Topshop due to finding their style boring and repetitive much like other high street shops, bringing in new designers and big names, and having the right style of promotion for each of these ranges could bring in a whole new potetnial demographic. I also think this is a great way to merge the lines between runway fashion and high street, collaborating with designers you would not see on the high street nd seeing how these designers can create more wearable fashion.