It's A Girl Thing: Tween Queens and the Commodification of the Girl's Tween Market

A few years of research, thoughts and adjustments that all led to a completed film which, framed by the structure of a faux interactive website for tween girls, looks closely, and critically, at the tween market's evolution and the role of Disney and Nickelodeon's tween queens (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, Miley Cryus, Miranda Cosgrove, Kiki Palmer, Selena Gomez, and more) in the market's explosion.

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Noah Cyrus launching Lingerie Line for girls


I dont even know where to begin with this stuff. Good lord. Link on the above title to get to the full article.

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Miley Cyrus' little sister the new face of kiddie 'lingerie' line
BY LEAH COLLIN, CANWEST NEWS SERVICEFEBRUARY 3, 2010 1:03 PM

For every little girl who wants to give her parents a heart attack but can't be bothered waiting until puberty to rebel, both Miley Cyrus' kid sister and her former co-star are here to help.

Eight-year-old Hannah Montana: The Movie actress Emily Grace Reaves, along with Noah Cyrus, 9, are shilling a new line of kiddie lingerie, ninemsn, MSN's Australian news site reports. And while it's technically Grace's fashion line (it's called the Emily Grace Collection, after all), whoever's in charge of marketing obviously couldn't resist associating Cyrus — a nine-year-old so far most famous for dressing like a dominatrix, pole-dancing and "Smackin' That" — with their "trendy, sweet, yet edgy" brand. The two kids will be modelling looks from the collection in videos on big sis Miley Cyrus' website.

The collection is produced by something called Ooh! La, La! Couture, and is described by a company press release as including "versatile styles that can be worn with sweet ballerina slippers, funky sneakers or paired with lace stockings and boots for more of a rock and roll look."

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Sunday, November 01, 2009

Adding Sunglasses to The Row

Click on above title to link to original article.

Add a new project to the list of things Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have taken on – sunglass designing.

Vintage-inspired sunglasses will be introduced on their luxury label, The Row, this spring, according to WWD.com.

The tiny 23-year-old twins are often seen hiding under giant shades, so it's only natural they'd be interested in adding them to their collection.

While the rest of us still have to wait a few months to try a pair on, Mary-Kate has been spotted sporting a square frame that's part of the line during London Fashion Week. It's reportedly one of four different styles in the collection.

Round shades, a classic metal aviator, and a vintage-inspired brow-line round out the line-up, reports WWD.

They'll range in price from $325-$390, and will be sold in high-end department stores.

"We're testing the market first and obviously these are four very different silhouettes, so we're seeing what people are responding to and we'll open up a couple more silhouettes for fall," Ashley said.

On top of their acting careers, the twins already design jewelry and shoes, but that doesn't mean making sunglasses came easy.

"Designing eyewear was definitely more complicated than we thought, and of course, we wanted to be extremely hands-on," Mary-Kate told WWD.

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Friday, October 30, 2009

Olsenboye JC Penny Commercial Teaser

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More on the Olsenboye line

Click on Above Title to link to original LATIMES article by Max Padilla.

A celebrity fashion collection doesn’t have to be an oxymoron (we’re still waiting to see how Lindsay Lohan’s future as artistic advisor to Paris house Ungaro will pan out -- regular readers of All the Rage may recall that it didn't begin well). Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s forays into the rag trade have been met with kudos from the industry. In July, the 23-year-old sisters were inducted into the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America, along with Alexander Wang, Jason Wu and J. Crew’s Jenna Lyons, on the basis of their design work on luxury label the Row and the contemporary-priced Elizabeth and James collection.

Now the Olsen twins have set their sights beyond the racks at Barneys and specialty boutiques and targeted the suburban closets of American teens and tweens with their exclusive collaboration with JCPenney, called Olsenboye.

Olsenboye, an Olsen family name, follows the theme of an oversized-sunglasses-wearing globetrotter who gleans wardrobe ideas from young women in fashion capitals. In keeping with the theme, the department store visuals will feature travel trunks, passport stamps and luggage stickers.

The Olsenboye prelaunch lineup, which premieres Nov. 6 in 50 select Penney’s and online, features cropped blazers, jean leggings, oversized peace-sign graphic T-shirts, a striped waffle-knit thermal, hooded sweatshirts, bags and footwear. A full ensemble will debut in February, including handbags and shoes. The pattern-heavy collection is meant to be mixed-and-matched -- florals, plaids and stripes -- in the trademark Olsen boho style.

Olseboye follows Penney’s reasonable price points, retailing from $20 to $50, and arrives in a wide size range, from 0 to 15.

Last Thursday (Oct. 22), when the Council of Fashion Designers of America celebrated its newest members at New York’s the Four Seasons, Ashley Olsen told the organization that she and her sister got their first taste of design by altering adult-size clothes to fit their then-preteen frames: “That’s really how we got into tailoring,” said Ashley. “We always loved it.”

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Monday, October 26, 2009

MKA Juniors Line Coming to JC Penny

Click on Title of this post to get to the original post on MTV.com

Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen Take Their Fashion Sense To J.C. Penney

MTV News in Fashion & Style
By Nuzhat Naoreen


Look out fashionistas, the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are coming to another store near you. The duo, who already have two high-end clothing lines, Elizabeth & James and The Row for men, are hitting the mass market with a junior's collection for J.C. Penney.

The line, Olsenboye, which is apparently Mary-Kate and Ashley's ancestral last name (although we're still inclined to think it's Tanner!), will mostly feature casual sportswear and accessories, including tops, dresses, handbags and shoes, priced from $20 to $50.

“It’s very fun, fashion driven, trendy and wholesome at the same time,” Liz Sweney, Penney's executive vice president and general merchandise manager of women's, told WWD . Of course, we wouldn't expect anything less from the Olsen girls, who recently became members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

The clothes will range in size, from 0 to 15. “It’s really important that Olsenboye serves lots of girls,” Sweney said. “It’s not just about girls size zero or one.” We can definitely appreciate that.

JCP plans to roll out the collection in its 500 stores in February, but eager fans can get a sneak peak online at jcp.com and at select stores, including the Manhattan flagship, starting November 6th for a limited time.

The 23-year-olds, who are far from new to mass marketing — they've been selling products including makeup and furniture to major retailers, like WalMart, for years through their company Dualstar Entertainment Group — actually approached JCP with the idea of a clothing line.

“Mary-Kate and I watch current trends and see our partnership with J.C. Penney as an opportunity to add something unique to the marketplace, especially in the current retail climate,” Ashley told WWD .

Whether or not the line will boost Penney's sales remains to be seen, but we certainly have high expectations for the fashion forward twins.

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Monday, March 16, 2009

Tween Dora - Coming Your Way


Parents upset over tween Dora the Explorer

If you have young children, there's no doubt you're aware of Dora the Explorer.

Kids love her cartoons and moms and dads love the character's bilingual lessons.

But toy-maker Mattel is upsetting some parents, who say Dora is growing up too fast.

Mattel plans to unveil a new, more grown-up Dora "tween" doll this fall. The toymaker gave parents a hint at what she'll look like in a press release, which featured a silhouette with long flowing hair and long legs.

Mattel also says the tweenaged Dora doll has "moved to the big city" and "has a...new fashionable look."

That worries some bloggers who say Dora will soon be "bratzed" out, sexualized like the Bratz dolls and become "obsessed with boys" like Barbie.

Others are organizing petition drives urging "no makeover for Dora."

The St. Petersburg Times' parenting blog, whoamomma, is demanding Mattel listen to their concerns. They they want a doll that isn't concerned about physical beauty. Some of the concerns folks have always had about Barbie.

Mattel and Nickelodeon are listening and want to assure parents that tween Dora does not remotely resemble Barbie. Instead, Mattel and Nickelodeon say she's the anti-Barbie.

Gina Sirard with Mattel says, "The reason we did this is to offer an alternative doll to moms who want their little girls to stay younger longer."

Mattel says tween Dora will still use her brains, but as an older girl. She'll use her adventurous spirit to solve mysteries with her new friends.

Sirard says, "It's not about the fashionista Dora, instead it's about Dora being able to go incognito so she can solve mysteries."

Mattel say children can hook up the Dora tween doll to a computer and take her into a virtual world where she can change her appearance to solve those mysteries.

The doll will be unveiled this fall.

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Dualstar mastermind Robert Thorne Represents Snoop Dogs New Clothing Line


Snoop Dogg to unveil new clothing line this week

(click on title above to link to snoop dogs clothing website)
Snoop Dogg
Rich & Infamous will showcase in Las Vegas
Aug 25, 2008
Snoop Dogg is set to unveil a line of clothing this week in Las Vegas, and will promote the brand through every entertainment project with which he’s involved.

The line which is called Rich & Infamous, will showcase at the Magic Fashion trade show in Sin City, and will be promoted through Snoop’s E! reality TV show ‘Father Hood’ as well as in his music videos, on his world tour and on his CD packaging.

The brand, which is aimed at men aged 18-35 will be streetwear-based and will include accessories and grooming products, says Variety.

"The Rich & Infamous brand is sculpted from Snoop Dogg's trend-savvy classic vision," Robert Thorne, CEO of the Robert Thorne Co. brand management firm told Variety.

“For Snoop Dogg, the name represents "a fraternity of sorts -- from presidents to gangsters -- who've been able to endure the burden of gaining wealth at any cost. Garnering equal parts admiration and disdain, these men savor the fruits and relish the spotlight," Thorne said.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Jewelry Line for MKA


"First clothing lines The Row and Elizabeth and James and now a jewelry collection? The fashion gods must be listening! Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have teamed up with CFDA award-winning jewelry designer and sculptor Robert Lee Morris to create bling for the masses under a line dubbed Robert Lee Morris for Elizabeth and James. Well, the price point of the line will determine how much mass appeal it will have, but I can't wait to see the pieces. The trio has been hard at work for a few months, digging into archives in Morris' headquarters in downtown Manhattan. So what can we expect from the petite sisters? Why, nothing short of silver and brass dagger necklaces, knuckle rings, and cool earrings. Bring. It. On!

Start saving money — Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's jewelry line is due to hit stores in September. The Robert Lee Morris for Elizabeth and James collection will consist of over 80 gold and silver pieces. Staying true to their unique style (see Mary-Kate's little bedecked hands below), look forward to seeing abstract earrings, necklaces, metal cuffs, and rings embellished with crosses and daggers along with beading.
Commenting on the collaborative collection, Ashley states, "We liked the idea of having playful elements along with timeless and ageless pieces. The symbols are attachable and you can take the jewelry and make it your own. There are solid silver and gold pieces to wear forever and comfort pieces that you'll put on and wear everywhere."

The pieces will retail from $65 to $700, and be sold at Intermix stores nationwide, Holt Renfrew, Lane Crawford, and On Pedder. The dynamic duo have also hinted to an upcoming shoe and bag collection.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Webcast Gadgets Inspired by iCarly for girls 9-14


An iCarly-inspired camera: what do you pink...err, think?
(Credit: Nickelodeon)
Nickelodeon, Viacom Consumer Products, and Imation announced Monday that they're expanding their already choice-intensive line of youth-friendly electronics under Nickelodeon's Npower line to include Webcast gadgets inspired by iCarly.
That popular Nickelodeon show and Web site follow its characters as they host a Web show and grapple with everyday tween problems and adventures along the way (maybe one of those problems should be parsing out which gadgets to buy?).
Npower's iCarly line of electronics, which are being marketed to girls ages 9 to 14, include a $79.99 Webcam; a $24.99 iCarly action cam accessory that includes a steady cam mount, on-camera lighting, and detachable reporter-style mic for interviews that might inspire the next generation of CNET journalists; and a $39.99 iCarly 3-in-1 digicam that's also a PC, Web, and video camera.
The devices come with iCarly Digital Diary Software, which makes it easy to add photos, videos, and music, and text to a digital diary or journal. The iCarly program also lets kids upload videos and images to sites like iCarly.com.

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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Buy their coffee table...and then their book..wait, do they sell coffee tables? Surely they do.


Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen explain it all
01:00 PM CDT on Monday, August 4, 2008

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are, in the words of People magazine, "gearing up to take the literary world by storm" with the publication of their joint memoir, the 272-page Influence, which purportedly charts the Olsens' spiritual and artistic maturation. (And to think they're just 22 years old.)

The sisters "take readers on a journey through their celebrated young lives, pausing to reflect on what has helped shape them into who they are today," a news release reads. The Olsens include interviews with the 20 people who have helped shape them the most, including fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld, Diane Von Furstenberg, John Galliano and Christian Louboutin and model-actress Lauren Hutton. (Curiously missing are such trendsetters as Leo Tolstoy, the Dalai Lama, Jane Austen, Adam Smith and Patti Smith.)

"We want to explain culturally how ideas evolve," Mary-Kate said. The book also features drawings and photographs, and would go beautifully with most standard coffee tables.

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