{"id":67664,"date":"2015-12-19T04:09:17","date_gmt":"2015-12-19T09:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=67664"},"modified":"2015-12-19T04:09:17","modified_gmt":"2015-12-19T09:09:17","slug":"instant-hit-empire-becomes-an-equally-rapid-retail-star-with-clothes-handbags-nail-polish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2015\/12\/19\/instant-hit-empire-becomes-an-equally-rapid-retail-star-with-clothes-handbags-nail-polish\/","title":{"rendered":"Instant hit \u2018Empire\u2019 becomes an equally rapid retail star with clothes, handbags, nail polish"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Empire<\/a>
Empire cast (Twitter photo<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LOS ANGELES \u2013 Before Fox TV\u2019s \u201cEmpire\u201d was a proven success, before any product licensing deals were signed, at least one eager retailer was getting in on the act.<\/p>\n

Shayne Oliver, the founder of clothing label Hood by Air, says he was so inspired by the drama and its strong female characters, including Taraji P. Henson\u2019s Cookie Lyon, that he had loudspeakers boom a snippet of \u201cEmpire\u201d dialogue at his New York runway show last February.<\/p>\n

Now Hood by Air is an official part of the Fox company\u2019s carefully plotted and expanding merchandising \u201clifestyle\u201d effort for \u201cEmpire\u201d \u2013 in only its second season \u2013 that goes way beyond standard \u201cTeam Cookie\u201d T-shirt fanwear and can take a TV show years of popularity to earn.<\/p>\n

The younger-skewing appeal of \u201cEmpire,\u201d the enthusiasm of up-and-coming brands like Hood by Air and the acceleration of fashion and retailing in general have combined to make the series a retailing whiz kid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just feels great to be involved with something we actually like… something that inspires us and we\u2019re passionate about,\u201d Oliver said.<\/p>\n

Cookie, who may be TV’s most influential fashion figure since the shoulder-pad-wearing women of \u201cDynasty,\u201d has earned a \u201cCookie\u2019s Closet\u201d blog from Fox. It dissects her wardrobe episode-by-episode so viewers know that was a $2,500 Gucci black leather dress she wore \u2013 and where they can find a $98 version.<\/p>\n

Saks Fifth Avenue, MCM and Jimmy Choo are among the high-end retailers and licensees joining the \u201cEmpire\u201d bandwagon that\u2019s just getting rolling, according to the 21st Century Fox division that\u2019s orchestrating the selling of the saga about family, music and power.<\/p>\n

There are still T-shirts to be had, from Fox\u2019s own online \u201cEmpire\u201d store and in the $30 range. But go further afield and there\u2019s a $200 dress, $1,200 sport coat, $1,500 handbag and $950 high heels for fans willing to splurge to get the show\u2019s glamorous looks for themselves.<\/p>\n

Other items under consideration by Fox include watches, fragrances and eyeglasses.<\/p>\n

The series became an immediate touchstone for pop culture and style after its debut last January, said Jeffrey Godsick, president of 20th Century Fox Consumer Products, allowing the company to \u201capproach it as a brand, as opposed to doing merchandise for a television show.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rush to extend \u201cEmpire\u201d from TV and into stores meant that, initially, already manufactured clothes and accessories were \u201ccurated\u201d and given the drama\u2019s seal of approval. Some were put on prominent display in nearly a dozen windows of Saks\u2019 Manhattan flagship location and in its Beverly Hills store.<\/p>\n

Long-established leather goods maker MCM was included in the windows and got the benefit of in-show product placement as well. In one scene featuring Henson and Bryshere Y. Gray, who plays Cookie\u2019s son Hakeem, their co-star was a rivet-studded MCM Berlin briefcase.<\/p>\n

MCM had to increase production on the case to keep up with demand, which the company attributes in part to the \u201cEmpire\u201d effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reach of the show is in the 18-to-49 demographic, our key target customer,\u201d said Patrick J. Valeo III, president of MCM, The Americas. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be your parents\u2019 or grandparents\u2019 handbag. It\u2019s about new-school luxury.\u201d<\/p>\n

Licensees are now selling custom \u201cEmpire\u201d items, including Hood by Air clothing emblazoned with images of characters and Deborah Lippman brand nail polishes (fuchsia Hustle Hard and glittery gold Power of the Empire among the colours).<\/p>\n

Fox\u2019s \u201caggressive\u201d merchandising effort reflects increased competition in the crowded media and fashion worlds, said Allen Adamson, founder of Brandsimple Consulting.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth industries are under pressure to say, \u2018Hey, look at me\u2019 in a sea of increased competition,\u201d he said. Fox\u2019s approach also makes sense because viewers \u201cshift gears and channels quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re hot, you need to jump on the opportunity, seize the moment and not wait for next year, because you might be yesterday\u2019s news,\u201d Adamson said.<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t the case with \u201cSons of Anarchy,\u201d which was several years into its FX run before there was an expansion into \u201cbiker culture\u201d ventures such as branded alcohol, Fox\u2019s Godsick said. It took \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d (perhaps understandably) two decades to get a foothold in designer fashion.<\/p>\n

The retail effort certainly is aimed at making money but is not a \u201cpure revenue play,\u201d he said. It\u2019s also intended to sustain \u201cEmpire\u201d and its audience.<\/p>\n

In its second season, \u201cEmpire\u201d is Fox\u2019s top-rated series and is the No. 1 scripted broadcast show among young adults, according to Nielsen company figures. Its overall average viewership for the seven days following an episode\u2019s airing is up slightly, 4 per cent, over last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re so careful to pick partners,\u201d Godsick said. \u201cWho you\u2019re tying in with, doing a collaboration with, sends a message to consumers and ultimately affects your brand.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2013 Before Fox TV\u2019s \u201cEmpire\u201d was a proven success, before any product licensing deals were signed, at least …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":67667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[1080],"class_list":["post-67664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fashion-and-beauty","tag-ap","mauthors-lynn-elber","mauthors-the-associated-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}