Of late, an array of high fashion and high street brands have launched their beauty verticals. From Valentino to ZARA, Gucci to Hermès, Carolina Herrera to Jimmy Choo – fashion labels have warmed up to the immense reach of beauty offerings. While some come packed in Art Deco-inspired boxes and printed cases, others are hailed as ready-to-wear collectables. Experts opine that accelerating brand awareness across markets is one reason why fashion brands launch makeup lines, as it escalates their reach to different touchpoints.
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Fashion YouTuber Scherezade Shroff observes that the unveiling of these beauty verticals is an attempt by design houses to appear as a one-stop-shop. “Today, you want to buy everything on one website. The pandemic has shifted the focus from fashion to beauty – everyone is home and not necessarily spending money on buying clothes or accessories. However, makeup and skincare products are something one is buying with work from home and Zoom calls becoming a way of life. The beauty industry has survived the pandemic and has had the reach that fashion has not,” says Shroff.
Since these brands have already built a name and a loyal clientele, people trust their products in every vertical. Blogger Juhi Godambe observes that beauty enthusiasts will at least purchase the product once to see if it works for them or not. “Brands do it to try and retain their loyal customer base and to influence them to buy from all their verticals.”
A section of experts opines that it’s an attempt by luxury brands to come across as affordable. Makeup artist Clint Fernandes quips, “An Hermès cardigan or a Birkin bag may be out of many consumers’ reach, but an Hermès lipstick is something many can afford. Moreover, these launches add to the brand visibility and show different aspects of the design house to a completely new audience. Also, the premium packaging combined with the longevity of these makeup products makes them worth investing in.”
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Moreover, the reach of social media has immensely impacted the evolution of the beauty space. Digital Creator Shereen Sikka says, “Back in the day, we had limited brands like MAC, Bobbi Brown, Estée Lauder or Lakmé, now there are so many options for contouring or foundation shades to pick from. Today even a young girl who wants to get her hands on a high fashion brand could easily buy lipstick or perfume from it. So, brands come across as accessible.”
The likes of Dior, Tom Ford and Burberry have utilised new social media channels to reach out to a totally new consumer base who live on Instagram. Some of these brands curate their content well, which is a mix of product imagery and influencer reviews, thus connecting with the consumers on a more personal level. This opens a new audience pool, who may not have been familiar with the brand in the past.
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