You’ve watched them do a variety of things-perform
sports feats, drop beats, put butts in seats. But there’s one thing that unites the guys on this list: they’ve all got fashion sense. And when you’re an independently famous icon, there’s a whole market of men who want to wear your clothes. So from Sean John (Diddy) and Edun (Bono) to Livestrong (Lance) and JK Livin (McConaughey), here are the top 10 male celeb clothing lines. And where to get them, of course.
SEAN JOHN
Famous founder: Sean John Combs (a.k.a. Diddy), rapper, 1998
Target market: Homeboys who crave Los Angeles glamor at a Macy’s price point
Highlights: Tailored suits, lightweight cardigans and the color purple
Reception: Council of Fashion Designers of America award (2004)
Price range: $30 to $275
Bottom line: Diddy once explained his decision to drop the “P” from his name because it was “getting in between me and my fans.” Here’s something else that does that, too.
EDUN
Famous founder: Bono, singer, 2005
Target market: The socially conscious, and those who like to showcase their love for Africa
Highlights: Earth tones, clingy cotton and, if the advertising is to be believed, butterflies landing on you (?!?)
Reception: Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, got themselves into warm water with activists when they switched about 15 percent of the line’s production from Africa to China because of issues with delivery and fit. The brand seems to have recovered.
Price range: $130 to $200 (tops); $200 to $250 (bottoms)
Bottom line: It’s a fusion of Bono’s adoration of smooth threads and his desire to bring Obama-like change. See, he’s going to do it with or without you—but preferably with you… in his clothes.
BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB (AND ICECREAM)
Famous founder: Pharrell, rapper, 2005
Target market: Luxury Japanese sportswear you can look like you might sweat in
Highlights: Checkers, stripes, camo—patterns galore
Reception: Pharrell was named Esquire’s Best Dressed Man the year the line was founded
Price range: $50 to $330
Bottom line: Ice cream and money? It doesn’t matter if there’s nothing more to that story, because those are our two favorite things.
I.AM CLOTHING
Famous founder: Will.i.am, rapper, 2005
Target market: Men of the future
Highlights: Bags, packs and slick jackets
Reception: Appeared at the MAGIC apparel trade show in Las Vegas
Price range: $100 to $800
Bottom line: To hear Will.i.am tell it, his gear is for the everyman. Tagline? “I am me, you are you, feel good about it.” Sounds like a candidate for some auto-tuning.
LIVESTRONG
Famous founder: Lance Armstrong, cyclist, 1996
Target market: Overcomers
Highlights: Shirts, fleeces, cycling gear and other sportswear
Reception: This clothing line beat cancer and won the Tour de France seven times. Or at least the guy wearing it did.
Price range: $25 to $50 Bottom line: 100 percent of the profits go to support cancer programs.
JK LIVIN
Famous founder: Matthew McConaughey, actor, 2008
Target market: Renaissance men
Highlights: Same logo, different colors!
Reception: It really peaked with the film Dazed and Confused, which just happened to come out 15 years before the clothing line
Price range: $25 to $55
Bottom line: “Just Keep Livin’,” a line from the movie, is Matthew’s personal credo, developed in response to his father’s passing. No word whether that’s what he told cops when they busted him for disturbing the peace whilst playing bongo drums high and nekkid in 1999.
RICH SOIL
Famous founder: Lamar Odom, basketball player, 2007
Target market: Those who straddle the line between sports and religion
Highlights: Graphic tees for days
Reception: It’s hard not to make a splash when you’re married to a Kardashian (even if it is Khloe). But somehow, the line has managed to fly under the radar.
Price range: $30 to $55
Bottom line: Odom claims the human spirit as the inspiration behind the line because it can “thrive in any condition.” The lion, trumpet and rose images? Biblical.
WILLIAM RAST
Famous founder: Justin Timberlake, singer and actor, 2005
Target market: Men who have adjusted to adulthood with style and poise—even if they started out on the Mickey Mouse Club
Highlights: Mostly denim with washes named for Eastern Hemisphere cities
Reception: Yahoo! once called it “classy.” So, there’s that.
Price range: $165 to $185
Bottom line: It’s named after the grandfathers of Timberlake and his business partner Trace Ayala. The two go way back and used to coordinate their outfits in grade school. (Bonus fun fact: the line sponsors a racecar—and it won the 2011 Indy 500. What?)
PRETTY GREEN
Famous founder: Liam Gallagher, singer-songwriter, 2009
Target market: Britpop aficionados who want to express sartorially the wide range of emotions they experience when listening to Oasis’s music
Highlights: Tailored shirts and trench coats that would be MI6-approved if the agency were more stylish
Reception: One writer said the line defies categorization and "propels men's fashion into a new stratosphere." The clothing is nice, to be sure, but we have a hunch this fellow specializes in hyperbole.
Price range: $130 to $900 (Black Label); $80 to $390 (Green Label)
Bottom line: Gallagher wanted to bring back British tailoring with a rocker twist, so he created a high-end luxury line and a—wait for it—high-end casual line. Woe to those who fail to appreciate his genius.
ROCAWEAR
Famous founder: Sean Carter (a.k.a. Jay-Z), rapper, 1999
Target market: Dudes who’d like to imagine themselves “in Paris getting f---ed up, too” (just without the budget for Hubelots and big-faced Rolies)
Highlights: Shirts, baggy and un-tucked, if that’s your method
Reception: It’s been quiet lately, except for when the brand recently nixed its “Occupy All Streets” T-shirt line. Apparently the OWS-ers didn’t like that Jay-Z hadn’t donated to the cause. And that he’s kinda The One Percent.
Price range: $50 to $75
Bottom line: As a restaurateur, author, NBA team part-owner, and oh yeah, a rapper, Jay-Z’s the ultimate business emperor. Clothing was a no-brainer.
sports feats, drop beats, put butts in seats. But there’s one thing that unites the guys on this list: they’ve all got fashion sense. And when you’re an independently famous icon, there’s a whole market of men who want to wear your clothes. So from Sean John (Diddy) and Edun (Bono) to Livestrong (Lance) and JK Livin (McConaughey), here are the top 10 male celeb clothing lines. And where to get them, of course.
Diddy and Sean John |
Famous founder: Sean John Combs (a.k.a. Diddy), rapper, 1998
Target market: Homeboys who crave Los Angeles glamor at a Macy’s price point
Highlights: Tailored suits, lightweight cardigans and the color purple
Reception: Council of Fashion Designers of America award (2004)
Price range: $30 to $275
Bottom line: Diddy once explained his decision to drop the “P” from his name because it was “getting in between me and my fans.” Here’s something else that does that, too.
Bono Edun |
Famous founder: Bono, singer, 2005
Target market: The socially conscious, and those who like to showcase their love for Africa
Highlights: Earth tones, clingy cotton and, if the advertising is to be believed, butterflies landing on you (?!?)
Reception: Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, got themselves into warm water with activists when they switched about 15 percent of the line’s production from Africa to China because of issues with delivery and fit. The brand seems to have recovered.
Price range: $130 to $200 (tops); $200 to $250 (bottoms)
Bottom line: It’s a fusion of Bono’s adoration of smooth threads and his desire to bring Obama-like change. See, he’s going to do it with or without you—but preferably with you… in his clothes.
Pharell Billionair Boys Club |
Famous founder: Pharrell, rapper, 2005
Target market: Luxury Japanese sportswear you can look like you might sweat in
Highlights: Checkers, stripes, camo—patterns galore
Reception: Pharrell was named Esquire’s Best Dressed Man the year the line was founded
Price range: $50 to $330
Bottom line: Ice cream and money? It doesn’t matter if there’s nothing more to that story, because those are our two favorite things.
William |
Famous founder: Will.i.am, rapper, 2005
Target market: Men of the future
Highlights: Bags, packs and slick jackets
Reception: Appeared at the MAGIC apparel trade show in Las Vegas
Price range: $100 to $800
Bottom line: To hear Will.i.am tell it, his gear is for the everyman. Tagline? “I am me, you are you, feel good about it.” Sounds like a candidate for some auto-tuning.
Lance Armstrong |
Famous founder: Lance Armstrong, cyclist, 1996
Target market: Overcomers
Highlights: Shirts, fleeces, cycling gear and other sportswear
Reception: This clothing line beat cancer and won the Tour de France seven times. Or at least the guy wearing it did.
Price range: $25 to $50 Bottom line: 100 percent of the profits go to support cancer programs.
Matthew Mconaughey JK Livin |
JK LIVIN
Famous founder: Matthew McConaughey, actor, 2008
Target market: Renaissance men
Highlights: Same logo, different colors!
Reception: It really peaked with the film Dazed and Confused, which just happened to come out 15 years before the clothing line
Price range: $25 to $55
Bottom line: “Just Keep Livin’,” a line from the movie, is Matthew’s personal credo, developed in response to his father’s passing. No word whether that’s what he told cops when they busted him for disturbing the peace whilst playing bongo drums high and nekkid in 1999.
Lamar Odom Rich Soil |
Famous founder: Lamar Odom, basketball player, 2007
Target market: Those who straddle the line between sports and religion
Highlights: Graphic tees for days
Reception: It’s hard not to make a splash when you’re married to a Kardashian (even if it is Khloe). But somehow, the line has managed to fly under the radar.
Price range: $30 to $55
Bottom line: Odom claims the human spirit as the inspiration behind the line because it can “thrive in any condition.” The lion, trumpet and rose images? Biblical.
Justin Timberlake William Rast |
Famous founder: Justin Timberlake, singer and actor, 2005
Target market: Men who have adjusted to adulthood with style and poise—even if they started out on the Mickey Mouse Club
Highlights: Mostly denim with washes named for Eastern Hemisphere cities
Reception: Yahoo! once called it “classy.” So, there’s that.
Price range: $165 to $185
Bottom line: It’s named after the grandfathers of Timberlake and his business partner Trace Ayala. The two go way back and used to coordinate their outfits in grade school. (Bonus fun fact: the line sponsors a racecar—and it won the 2011 Indy 500. What?)
Liam Galagher Pretty Green |
Famous founder: Liam Gallagher, singer-songwriter, 2009
Target market: Britpop aficionados who want to express sartorially the wide range of emotions they experience when listening to Oasis’s music
Highlights: Tailored shirts and trench coats that would be MI6-approved if the agency were more stylish
Reception: One writer said the line defies categorization and "propels men's fashion into a new stratosphere." The clothing is nice, to be sure, but we have a hunch this fellow specializes in hyperbole.
Price range: $130 to $900 (Black Label); $80 to $390 (Green Label)
Bottom line: Gallagher wanted to bring back British tailoring with a rocker twist, so he created a high-end luxury line and a—wait for it—high-end casual line. Woe to those who fail to appreciate his genius.
Jay-z-Rocawear |
Famous founder: Sean Carter (a.k.a. Jay-Z), rapper, 1999
Target market: Dudes who’d like to imagine themselves “in Paris getting f---ed up, too” (just without the budget for Hubelots and big-faced Rolies)
Highlights: Shirts, baggy and un-tucked, if that’s your method
Reception: It’s been quiet lately, except for when the brand recently nixed its “Occupy All Streets” T-shirt line. Apparently the OWS-ers didn’t like that Jay-Z hadn’t donated to the cause. And that he’s kinda The One Percent.
Price range: $50 to $75
Bottom line: As a restaurateur, author, NBA team part-owner, and oh yeah, a rapper, Jay-Z’s the ultimate business emperor. Clothing was a no-brainer.