Scarlett Gets Sporty: Johansson to Design Reebok Lifestyle Line

[lucy92]

Scarlett Johansson for Reebok

here's the press release.



Reebok Partners with Screen Star Scarlett Johansson to Create Red-Hot Fashion Collection, Scarlett ''Hearts'' Rbk

CANTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2006--Reebok has signed a multi-year partnership with one of Hollywood's most captivating young actresses, Scarlett Johansson. The 21 year-old beauty has partnered with the brand to co-create Scarlett "Hearts" Rbk, a fashion-forward, athletic-inspired footwear and apparel signature collection debuting in spring 2007 at high-end department stores and boutiques around the world. The line will be grounded in sport and will feature head-to-toe looks designed to take today's multi-dimensional woman from the studio to the street in style. In addition, the star of acclaimed films including "Match Point" and "Lost In Translation" will be featured in Reebok's new global women's advertising campaign breaking in spring 2007.


"Reebok is thrilled to partner with Scarlett because she is a world renowned style icon and truly an inspiration for today's young women," said Reebok's President and CEO Paul Harrington. "Scarlett embodies the pulse points of our brand - individuality, authenticity and a life lived to the fullest in perpetual motion. These characteristics make her the perfect fit for our new women's footwear and apparel collection and also for our exciting new women's campaign."
Recognized worldwide for her fashion flair, Johansson was recently voted "Best Dressed" in an online poll conducted by Yahoo! A New York City native, Johansson has always had an affinity for fashion. "Reebok has a rich heritage in developing and designing cutting-edge women's product which makes them an ideal company to partner with to launch 'Scarlett Hearts Rbk'," said Johansson. "I am very enthusiastic about working with Reebok to design this line."
The partnership was secured with the guidance of Daniel Rosenberg, president of InVenture Entertainment, a New York-based entertainment marketing and motion picture/television production company. "Reebok's goal was to team up with an aspirational actress who embodies individuality and style, and I instantly thought of Scarlett," said Rosenberg, who was recently the Executive Producer of Spike Lee's "Inside Man" for Universal Pictures. "This partnership requires a creative and entrepreneurial spirit and Reebok has found that in Scarlett."
The William Morris Agency represented Johansson on this partnership. Further details of the Reebok and Johansson association are not being disclosed.
Scarlett "Hearts" Rbk features an aspirational collection of retro sport-inspired footwear and apparel with sophisticated detailing and unexpected twists. Reebok's new women's global advertising campaign will be unveiled in spring 2007. The campaign will include TV, print, online and OOH executions.

 

[lucy92]

Scarlett Gets Sporty: Johansson to Design Reebok Lifestyle Line
http://www.wwd.com/notavailable/dotcom?target=/issue/article/107837&articleId=107837&articleType=A&industryKw=issue

can anyone get the full story?

i'm curious about this!

 

[zamb]

here we go again...................................................

 

[djork]

how lame.

 

[lucy92]

from wwd.

Scarlett Gets Sporty: Johansson to Design Reebok Lifestyle Line
By Whitney Beckett
NEW YORK — Scarlett Johansson admits she's "definitely not athletic in any way," but come spring, she'll be in love with Reebok.

The actress has joined with the Canton, Mass., athletic giant to design and market an athletic-inspired sportswear and footwear line called "Scarlett [Hearts] Rbk."

The partnership is unprecedented for Reebok and the athletic industry, according to Paul Harrington, president and chief executive of Reebok, now a division of Adidas. "This is definitely new and different for us," Harrington said. "This hits the sweet spot of our major women's initiative that I announced in April."

Neither side would disclose too many details of the arrangement, including what Reebok is paying the actress and how the deal is structured, but Herrington said "the deal is in the spirit of a joint venture" and that Johansson — who is involved in every aspect of the line, from designing to appearing in the spring ad campaign — is not an employee. The initial contract is for three years, but is renewable.

Johansson's line with Reebok will be a lifestyle collection inspired by activewear. Exact looks for the collection have not been made final, but both sides describe the pieces as "fashion forward" as well as retro; retro sneakers and cotton T-shirts will be featured.

"I like to do yoga and stretch out, so we will probably do a bunch of stuff for that," Johansson told WWD. "Things you can wear to the yoga studio and then to coffee with your friends" — with the emphasis on the coffee part. "I like the idea of exercise and aerobics being glamorous: Olivia Newton John and women exercising in false eyelashes," she added.

The actress, famously proud of her feminine curves and rear that became renowned in "Lost in Translation," wants to bring a more feminine cut to her athletic-inspired line. "There is so much pressure to look a certain way and to be thin, and I think part of that comes from fitting into clothing or not fitting into clothing. I am basically designing clothing for my friends, and a lot of my friends are also regular girls with lovely curves and feminine figures."

Reebok's other big-name affiliations have included campaigns with actresses Christina Ricci, Lucy Liu and Maggie Gyllenhaal for the "I Am What I Am" ads, and rappers Jay Z, Nelly and 50 Cent, who have footwear collections. Adidas has teamed with Missy Elliott for her Respect M.E. line, and with designers Stella McCartney for Adidas by Stella McCartney and Yohji Yamamoto for Y-3. Both Adidas and Reebok also, of course, sign athletes to promote their products. Adidas, including Reebok, has total sales of $11 billion.

Adidas bought Reebok in January for $3.8 billion, and Adidas executives have said they want the U.S. company to focus on the performance, rather than the lifestyle, side of its business, believing that Reebok has been too susceptible to fashion fads in the past. Reebok is emphasizing its affiliation with the NFL and just signed Peyton Manning, along with other football players, for an upcoming ad campaign.

Harrington defended Reebok's position in both sides of the activewear market. "When we emphasize performance, it's not at the expense of lifestyle," he said. "It's more about our messaging, which in the past couple of years has probably been too much on lifestyle and music. We feel we can play in both fields."

And Reebok believes Johansson is the perfect liaison to the lifestyle side. Although she is not an athlete, or even a gym rat, Johansson is "relevant with our consumer — a multidimensional woman with a busy life, an independent spirit and an authentic persona," Harrington said.

Harrington declined to make volume projections for the line. The company keeps mum on such details, but he added that even Reebok did not know sales projections yet, as distribution channels and wholesale prices have not been made final.

"I don't think it's a volume play," Harrington said. "It's about how Scarlett attaches to the brand, which affects not just her line."

Reebok plans to distribute the line at high-end department stores and boutiques in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Deals with specific retailers are still in the works. Harrington hinted prices would be on a par with those of other sportswear lines sold at such stores.

Johansson, who sees her customer base between the ages of 16 and 35, said she wants to keep her line's price point reasonable. "I want to buy things at affordable prices, especially if it's a T-shirt," she said. "What makes Reebok great is, it is all going to be affordable."

Johansson is not alone in crossing the ranks from actress to designer. Retail sales of licensed celebrity merchandise totaled more than $3 billion last year, according to a report by the trade publication Licensing Letter. Johansson joins the ranks of Beyoncé Knowles, Jessica Simpson, Elizabeth Hurley, Gwen Stefani, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Hilary Duff and Jennifer Lopez. But Johansson is intent on being fully involved with the line and making sure the product is one that represents her.

"I am really wary of that whole persona-in-the-public-eye selling a product," Johansson said. "I absolutely would never put out a piece of clothing that I wouldn't wear. It was important to me that I had complete control over the whole project, and Reebok was really open to that."

Johansson, who says she dresses casually in her private life, is involved in every part of the collection, from designing the line to appearing in the ad campaign that will launch next spring.

"I can draw, but I certainly can't do sketches that approximate the designs," she explained. What Johansson can do is rummage through Reebok's archives — she favors collections from the 1970s — and collaborate with Reebok's design team to put her ideas to work. "The great thing about working with Reebok is their resources are huge," she said. "If I find a retro fabric, they can help rework it into something technically right for today."

The partnership could be called serendipitous. Johansson said she had been looking into designing casual wear when Reebok approached her last summer. "Every time my sister and I went shopping, I couldn't find T-shirts I liked that fit me," she said. "I found it more difficult to find a T-shirt I liked that fit me well than an evening gown."

The deal was brokered by InVenture Entertainment, a New York entertainment marketing company.

When she got the phone call from Reebok, Johansson thought, "It sounded like fun."

The 21-year-old native New Yorker had her first on-screen break in 1994, in "North," but gained international acclaim and attention in 2003 with her starring role opposite Bill Murray in Sophia Coppola's "Lost in Translation." More recently, Johansson teamed with Woody Allen in "Match Point" in 2005 and in "Scoop," which hits theaters Wednesday.

In recent years, Johansson has become increasingly present in the fashion industry. She is already a spokesmodel for L'Oréal, and in June she presented the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award to Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa at the CFDA Fashion Awards. She also socializes with designers, including Costa and Stella McCartney.

This three-year deal with Reebok, which both sides said they are committed to renewing, is satisfying her design bug for now, she said.

Reebok is not looking to sign another name yet either, according to Harrington.

The ad campaign for "Scarlet [Hearts] Rbk" will be part of a larger Reebok global women's advertising campaign, which debuts next spring. Johansson won't appear in Reebok's signature "I am what I am" ads, but the print, and possibly TV, ads in which she will appear will complement that campaign, according to Harrington. The details of the ads, including who will shoot them this fall, are not final.

Reebok is announcing the Johansson collaboration tonight with an exclusive party at Xchange here.

 

[markie]

You know, she is a very good actress when she tries and picks the right roles... why must she ruin it with cheap films and ads like this? :|

 

[serena775]

Thats sucks, i really respect her as an actress and not being a taloid queen. i'll still won't support "celeb designers".

 

[lucy92]

yeah, it doesnt seem as if she isnt doing much work on the line.

 

[eugenius]

i dont see the connection between the two..

 

[softgrey]

Published: Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Scarlett Gets Sporty: Johansson to Design Reebok Lifestyle Line
By Whitney Beckett

NEW YORK — Scarlett Johansson admits she's "definitely not athletic in any way," but come spring, she'll be in love with Reebok.

The actress has joined with the Canton, Mass., athletic giant to design and market an athletic-inspired sportswear and footwear line called "Scarlett [Hearts] Rbk."

The partnership is unprecedented for Reebok and the athletic industry, according to Paul Harrington, president and chief executive of Reebok, now a division of Adidas. "This is definitely new and different for us," Harrington said. "This hits the sweet spot of our major women's initiative that I announced in April.""It was important to me that I had complete control over the whole project, and Reebok was really open to that."
Scarlett Johansson
Neither side would disclose too many details of the arrangement, including what Reebok is paying the actress and how the deal is structured, but Herrington said "the deal is in the spirit of a joint venture" and that Johansson — who is involved in every aspect of the line, from designing to appearing in the spring ad campaign — is not an employee. The initial contract is for three years, but is renewable.

Johansson's line with Reebok will be a lifestyle collection inspired by activewear. Exact looks for the collection have not been made final, but both sides describe the pieces as "fashion forward" as well as retro; retro sneakers and cotton T-shirts will be featured.

"I like to do yoga and stretch out, so we will probably do a bunch of stuff for that," Johansson told WWD. "Things you can wear to the yoga studio and then to coffee with your friends" — with the emphasis on the coffee part. "I like the idea of exercise and aerobics being glamorous: Olivia Newton John and women exercising in false eyelashes," she added.

The actress, famously proud of her feminine curves and rear that became renowned in "Lost in Translation," wants to bring a more feminine cut to her athletic-inspired line. "There is so much pressure to look a certain way and to be thin, and I think part of that comes from fitting into clothing or not fitting into clothing. I am basically designing clothing for my friends, and a lot of my friends are also regular girls with lovely curves and feminine figures."

wwd.com

 

[Mutterlein]

Why don't they hire a designer for this?

I'm confused. This seems like a really bad idea.

 

[crow_watcher]

Its so different it might work. But the cynical side of me says Reebok is a atheletic company, so why her?

 

[rui]

SO GROSS!!

all any one wants nowadays is a big named actor/actress/pop star attatched to a fashion label.. I hope the fad ends real quick!!
Scarlett johanson, come on now people!

 

[softgrey]

...

 

[zamb]

...

well said softgrey..................

 

[Diorling]

They try.

 

[semaj]

At least she's beautiful. Well, in my opinion of course.

 

[LoveMyBoots]

Almost everything in that article proves that she should not be doing this:

The actress has joined with the Canton, Mass., athletic giant to design and market

Scarlett Johansson admits she's "definitely not athletic in any way,"

"It was important to me that I had complete control over the whole project, and Reebok was really open to that."

"I like the idea of exercise and aerobics being glamorous: Olivia Newton John and women exercising in false eyelashes," she added.

 

[leeyone]

O_O

 

[faust]

there is an identical thread one page back...