Luxury fashion houses turning to cosmetic lines to create brand awareness
Industry analysts are reporting cosmetics ranges to be boosting the awareness of luxury fashion brands now more than ever, as a mascara or lipstick is often the first item a consumer looking to buy from a top designer can afford.
This essentially builds brand loyalty so that when a consumer does have the means to afford high-end fashion, they are already familiar with a brand's cosmetic arm.
According to market researcher Promise Consulting, cosmetic brands with roots in the fashion industry are especially prevalent in Europe. Make-up lines and fragrance collection ultimately offer a more viable entry into the world of the designer fashion label.
Investing in cosmetic partnerships
Many luxury fashion labels choose to partner up with an experienced cosmetic firm to help find their bearings in the beauty market.
To date, luxury designers Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Michael Kors and Tom Ford have partnered up with the likes of Estée Lauder, L'Oreal and Sephora to create beauty lines in an effort to establish their brand with new consumers.
Estée Lauder recently reported its make-up category raked in 4,210 million dollars in net sales thanks to a double-digit sales increase from the Tom Ford cosmetics line, in it's fourth quarter financial report.
"In make-up higher sales for the year reflected double-digit growth for our artist brands and a number of new launches, including Pur Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick. In fragrance double digit growth was recorded from luxury brands such as Tom Ford and Jo Malone."
L'Oreal Luxe, which consists of beauty lines from the likes of Giorgio Armani and Yves Saint Laurent, also noted that the first half sales for the year grew 7.4% like-for-like, which was boosted by “Yves Saint Laurent, with its lip make-up”.
The firm also noted that the division “is gaining market shares across all geographic Zones, particularly in the New Markets”.
