Universal Music Group and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger are reportedly in negotiations to develop fashion collections for UMG’s artist roster. Hilfiger’s Music and Entertainment and Sports Holdings (MESH), formed last year, is planning to launch the clothing lines this fall, according to Women’s Wear Daily. The musicians mentioned in the report are Justin Bieber and The Who.
MESH’s first venture was a collaboration with the fashion line of celebrity couple
Jennifer Lopez and
Marc Anthony, which was unveiled at Kohl’s in November. The combination of fashion and music is part of a greater trend of music companies looking beyond recorded music and music publishing.
One of the best examples of this corporate synergy is
Jay Z‘s Roc Nation, a venture with Live Nation that was born from the $150 million deal he signed with the promoter in 2008. Another well known consumer product venture is Beats by
Dr. Dre, created by producer/rapper Dr. Dre and
Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M. Beats by Dr. Dre has developed the Beats by Dre brand of headphones (with Monster) and audio technology (with HP), for example.
Lady Gaga is involved with headphones (the HeartBeats line from Monster) and a line of consumer technology products with Polaroid.
