The Twilight influence on Fashion

With Twilight blowing out to be a pop culture phenomenon, some sectors of the industry tried to ignore the Twilight juggernaut since it was deemed for teens and was too cheesy for the general public’s taste. However, the franchise was able to save some companies from going down despite the economic woes and the industry took notice.

This year, Twilight was everywhere. From apparels to jewelries to cosmetic products, companies made sure that they have something “Twilight” to offer. Not only that, the Twilight actors dominated the cover pages of different magazines from Teen Vogue to Vanity Fair. So what part of the entertainment biz that hasnt been touched by Twilight?

The New York Magazine has published an article that explores and talks about the Twilight Fashion Invasion. Here is an excerpt:

Twilight stud muffin Kellan Lutz is Calvin Klein’s “new Mark Wahlberg,” according to Fox News. “Kellan has been signed to Calvin Klein for a huge campaign that will feature him in his skivvies all over billboards and in magazines,” a source tells them. The label reportedly wants to re-create Wahlberg’s ads, and thinks Lutz is the best person to fill out the manties. Calvin Klein underwear is a mighty campaign to land, a coup for Lutz, his personal trainer, and the Twilight empire. And so as 2009 draws to a close, there could be no better time to reflect on Twilight’s fashion journey, from its humble beginnings to ridiculously glamorous future.

The saga has had quite a mystic fashion adventure over the past year. Landing most noticeably first in Hot Topic stores, Twi merch bolstered the retailer’s sales in the third quarter of ’08, one of the worst economic periods in decades, keeping the chain not only from going under but also astoundingly profitable. The rest of the industry drooled over those financial returns, and companies quickly began scheming for their own fashion-derived pot of Twilight gold. Nordstrom was quick to launch its own Twilight line of Team Edward T-shirts, jewelry, and other nonsense. Increasingly ridiculous Twilight product launches followed, including makeup (more than one line), “Edward’s smile” necklaces, and vampire-fang veneers, which cost from $250 for a dentist to apply.

The power of Twilight did not escape the notice of the fashion media, which also fell on incredibly hard times in 2009. Desperate to recover and, like too many of us, unable to ignore the psychodom of the Twilight empire any longer, fashion editors let loose their fangs and sank them into the vulnerable horde of teens and their parents, now hungry to know themselves what all this fuss was about. Hedi Slimane shot Robert Pattinson — an ex-model, in fact — for the September issue of AnOther Man. Next came Harper’s Bazaar, the December cover of which starred Kristen Stewart and R-Pattz, further fueling relationship rumors with a dark, romantic spread inside the issue. Before the Lutz news broke, rumors surfaced about shirtless star Taylor Lautner signing on as the new face of Armani.