In a previous blog, What is Pepsi doing with denim?, I wrote about a non-fashion brand, Pepsi, exploring the world of fashion, hoping to profit with a sportswear line. Now, as reported by WWD on Thursday, February 9th titled, Cirque du Soleil Builds Brand Beyond the Ring the “$500 million Montreal-based entertainment empire … wants to build a brand that highlights fashion, cosmetics –and more,” beginning with a women’s ready to wear line targeted for a 35-50-year-old affluent woman. While it’s quite obvious that a stylized human circus troop may know a lot about aesthetics, their dealings with fashion is quite a huge leap. The article states:

The company this summer plans to launch women’s ready-to-wear, which will be followed by men’s wear and children’s wear, and a fragrance project is in the works. Cirque also has its sights on other product categories and is even considering opening its own stores…the 64-piece rtw collection for fall-winter 2006 is to be introduced in August in about 300 specialty boutiques worldwide.

This is a huge leap. Huge. There is no way that this will be profitable. I understand that Cirque customers are willing to buy their tickets, but as for branded clothing, it won’t work. I don’t believe that their fan base is loyal enough to stick it out with them and rely on their name or products to deliver sales.

Sales for the first season are projected to be between 41.2 million and 41.5 million…Next year, when distribution is expanded to 600 specialty doors, sales may top $4 million in the U.S.

They company compares their unlikely fashion endeavors to the time when Guy LaLiberte founded Cirque, saying: “We didn’t set out to have the number of shows that we have… We’ve been extremely fortunate as a company in that making those choices has always resulted in great financial results…” But that comparison seems unfounded and quite irrelevant. When Cirque first started, they had a niche, something different, unique and entertaining and as for their clothing line, I’m quite doubtful because the market is so saturated with such gimmicks. Plus, there is nothing unique about the designs, which are quite tacky and targeted to the wrong age group, as shown in their promotional advertisements (featuring a very young, leggy model in mini skirts and bird feathers…)

As for the tacky clothing, it is not demure, especially for such a target market that is allured by such heavy hitters as Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, and Donna Karen, to name a few.

With copious amounts of feathers, fake fur, trims, sequins and Austrian crystals, the rtw is dripping with details intended to put the wearer in the spotlight. The silhouettes are for a woman with an if-you’ve-got-it-flaunt-it mentality…the collection was produced through a licensing agreement between Cirque and Itsus International, a Montreal-based design and manufacturing company…

These fashion endeavors could possibly damage their brand image, over-extending their company name through such licensing in various product offerings. While they are trusted to deliver “creative extravaganzas filled with evocative music, dazzling costumes and supremely athletic performers,” fashion is not synonymous with such dealings: Cirque is too abstract, too avant-garde, too out there; and its image will not attract the masses, especially this target market.