Estee Lauder Teams with Tom Ford on Signature Product Line

Estee Lauder Teams With Tom Ford On Signature Product Line

Recently glamour vendor Estee Lauder announced its lineup with fashion designer Tom Ford. The partnership will create a Tom Ford-branded beauty and fragrance line, to be sold exclusively at Estee Lauder counters. Estee Lauder stated that the agreement is a very significant one. It said this would be the first time it has partnered with an external fashion designer. Ford is a former designer for Gucci Group.

Critics notice that Tom Ford is a fashion industry icon in the same way that Estee Lauder is a beauty industry icon. It's a perfect match of luxury, style and beauty. It is also a bold move by The Estee Lauder Companies to bolster its flagship brand, which has suffered from sluggish sales in recent years. New lines marketed by makeup artists have hurt the brand’s cosmetic sales. And the brand's skincare business has been hit hard by high-profile dermatologist brands.

In the first phase, Ford will create a Tom Ford for Estee Lauder line. A limited collection will be available for the 2005 holiday season, with a more extensive one due to debut in spring 2006. For the second phase, Ford will commence a separate, stand-alone Tom Ford beauty brand to create and market fragrance and other related products. These products will begin to launch in Fall 2006.

Industry critics agree that the partnership will allow Ford to take advantage of Estee Lauder's expertise in the fragrance business, with its high costs and loyal customer base. Estee Lauder will benefit from Ford's cachet, fame and provocative marketing sensibility.

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