Fashion on Site from WWD.com - Fashion Week Coverage of the Fall 2007 Collections

Britney Spears currently has four fragrances on the market.

Stars Begin to Dim: Celebrity Scent Sales Losing Some Luster

02/15 10:36pm

NEW YORK — Celebrity scents have enjoyed top billing on the fragrance industry’s marquee in recent years, but could be headed for a supporting role.

During the recent holiday season, the growing cast of celebrity scents lost some ground to designer fragrances with Vera Wang Princess and Juicy Couture emerging as the standout new entries.

A thorough analysis of the entire year’s sales also offers an early indication that the fanfare surrounding star-backed scents may have begun to dissipate. Last year, sales of women’s scents fell 17 percent, to $140 million, despite the fact that celebrity launches increased tenfold compared with 2003, according to The NPD Group. That said, they contributed handsomely to the $2.8 billion category last year, but celebrity scents have created a tug-of-war with each other for consumers’ attention, said Karen Grant, senior industry analyst for NPD.

And while the stars battle it out on the fragrance counter, classic and designer scents are staging a comeback, and their sales have begun to rise as a result, according to NPD.

Juicy Couture's interior in Milan.

Juicy Couture Enters Milan

By Alessandra Ilari

MILAN — With the opening of its first European flagship, Juicy Couture is injecting Milan with a ray of California sunshine.
The 3,000-square-foot store that opens today is a stepping-stone for Juicy Couture’s expansion in Europe. England is next on the agenda.

“Italy in many ways is the epicenter of fashion and the European country that initially best responded to our product,” said Juicy Couture co-founder Gela Nash-Taylor in a phone interview. “We were so excited when we found out that we had a space on Via della Spiga, my favorite street in Milan, that I couldn’t stop jumping up and down.”

Certainly the brand’s West Coast pizzazz is new for Milan’s tony shopping district.

“When Pam [Skaist-Levy, her partner] and I first came to Milan, we were mesmerized by the elegance of the women dressed in dark colors and with perfect accessories, but we think we can definitely put Juicy Couture on the map with its combination of L.A. glamour, universal fit and casual luxury,” said Nash-Taylor.

For complete coverage see WWD.com.