Dolce & Gabbana Launch Luxury Cosmetics Line
July 8, 2009 by WhatsWear
Filed under News, W. Makeup, Womens Skin
Dolce & Gabbana one of the worlds top luxury brands has launched its much-anticipated cosmetics line early next month. By adding this line the company will now be a full-fledged beauty house and will be competing with other high-end makeup lines. Dolce & Gabbana already has a very successful fragrance line so a cosmetics line was a natural next step.
Stefano Gabbana stated while being interviewed by WWD in his elaborately richly decorated drawing room of his office that he and Domenico Dolce have wanted to do makeup for years now it’s a new direction unlike fragrance.
The inspiration for the makeup is derived from the collections. “We see makeup as another thing for women, like a dress. We worked on the line like we worked on a clothing collection- you can change makeup like you change your clothes, depending on your mood,” Gabbana added.
The sources for inspiration are very familiar to Dolce & Gabbana and the colors are very rich and bold. Intense blues for the Mediterranean, black and gold for the volcanic island Stromboli, and deep burgundy for one of their favorite flowers the dahlia.
The packaging for the makeup is beautiful, feminine, and luxurious without being too over the top extravagant. Its weighty metal glossy gold with rounded edges placed into black velvet pouches.
The initial products will be 110 stock keeping units including lipstick perfumed with a trademark rose scent and mascara with a peppery olfactory note. Dolce & Gabbana wanted to bring scents back to cosmetics most on the market took away their fragrance. They noticed how women smell makeup first and are fascinated with the attitude of women when they apply their makeup. The lipsticks are the core piece of the collection they feel it is one of the most important things a woman can put on.
They have teamed up with Procter & Gamble Prestige Products and also with makeup artist Pat McGrath to collaborate on colors and formulations. Pat McGrath is perfect for them to team up with because she gets them, knows what they like and understands makeup.
McGrath developed three looks that will epitomize the line; “Lustful Lips,” inspired by a silver screen siren with dark ruby colored lips and nails, “Provocative Eyes,” a smoky eye and pale lip, and “Sensually Natural,” a pared back look in neutral hues.
Actress Scarlett Johansson will be the face of the line and appear in the advertising campaigns. The look is sultry and sexy very reminiscent of a Marilyn Monroe shoot. She is perfect for the line because she is very confident of herself, beautiful, and easy going very Dolce & Gabbana.
Entering the cosmetics market can be very risky for high-end designers and have a large effect on the brand. The process has been very difficult for some such as ck Calvin Klein who is attempting to relaunch a third time, Versace’s line faded, and Ralph Lauren is attempting a second launch for his makeup line in the fall.
Giorgio Armani has been very successful when entering the market. Chanel is a standard in high-end cosmetics. YSL Beauté, Dior, and Givenchy have also done well in the cosmetics field.
The current economic climate is one factor that could rain on Dolce & Cabana’s parade due to decline in consumer spending. Carrie Lennard a cosmetics and toiletries analyst for Euromonitor predicts that there will be a sales growth for high-end makeup in Italy and the UK over the next five years.
Mark Storbel the vice president of licensee Procter & Gamble Prestige Products wants to approach the new line “slow and steady.” Distribution will be highly selective also and the launch at three doors with point sales under 100 by 2010.
The first store that will launch the line is La Rinascente the Italian luxury department store in Milan at the end of January. The line will then be unveiled in two other key retailers in March: Selfridges of London and Saks Fifth Avenue. “The initial strategy is to be in the best cities and in the best doors,” Storbel elaborated, “in Paris, Madrid, Moscow, and Barcelona as target locations.
Along with luxury makeup the in-store spaces which are being called “luxury lounges.” Ferruccio Laviani who designs the Dolce & Gabbana boutique interiors designs them. The interior motif is black glossy furniture with gold accents, mirrors, and chandeliers. Some of the spaces will be enclosed and all will feature an area dedicated to personalized makeup consultancies.
Dolce & Gabbana’s pricing position is high: from nail lacquer for $20, mascara for &28, lipsticks for $30, eye shadow duos for $36, and perfect finishing powder foundation for $59. Other categories include bronzing powder, blush, eye and lip pencils, and lip gloss.
So is this the right move? Dolce & Gabbana is a top luxury brand with a successful fragrance business, which is growing at double digits. The brand has the potential to be huge in the cosmetics market and be a force to be reckoned with. This new line of high-end cosmetics is very well made with the best ingredients, silky to the touch, and innovative. The makeup is so luxurious people that buy Dolce & Gabbana clothing and fragrances are going to be smitten with it. Since the price point is high it may not take off initially with mainstream America but as the economic tide turns it will catch on.
SHAKERA FRANCIS
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