Given Ellen DeGeneres’ affinity for dancing, the fact that her ED lifestyle collection is launching footwear would appear to be the inevitable next step.
Through a new multiyear deal with the Camuto Group, ED will add shoes and sneakers this spring under the ED Ellen DeGeneres label. Since debuting her ED lifestyle label in June, the comedian has introduced myriad products including T-shirts, drawstrings pants, jackets and baseball caps, as well as more obscure finds — seersucker shorts, plates imprinted with jokes, animal-shaped appetizer picks and horse bit-accented cheese knives.
Known for her relaxed, hands-in-the-pocket style, the Emmy Award-winning talk show host and actress will stay true to that spirit with her casual footwear. Fans can attest that her own style is very much true to that aesthetic. DeGeneres even wore sneakers when she stepped on stage with Taylor Swift during the pop star’s “1989” concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “I am so excited for my brand to partner with the Camuto Group. They say you have to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to really know how they feel. Well, now you can literally walk a mile in my shoes, or even further if you choose,” DeGeneres said.
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She will no doubt keep guests laughing on Sept. 10 when Bergdorf Goodman commemorates the opening of her ED pop-up home store on the store’s seventh floor. The pop-up bowed Sept. 4 and will be up through Sept. 22. In addition, shoppers on Bergdorf Goodman’s e-commerce site, will find an online pop-up with ED apparel, home decor and a capsule collection of the label’s new shoes through Sept. 30. To tie in, the ED site has a hero image and select items promoting the BG pop-up shop with a direct link to Bergdorf’s e-commerce site. With retail prices ranging from $80 to $300, the first full collection of footwear is set for a spring debut in better department stores and specialty stores internationally. ED shoes will include leather, suede, linen, canvas and denim options.
At Bergdorf’s private event Thursday, attendees will also get a glimpse of DeGeneres’ new interior decorating book “Home,” which hits stores later next month. DeGeneres has bought and renovated nearly a dozen homes over the last 25 years, according to promotional material for the new book.
That isn’t the comedian’s only new project. She recently presented GapKids x ED, an apparel and accessories collection aimed at empowering girls. “Be Your Own Hero” and “BRAVE” are among the messages printed on the mostly color-neutral designs. There is also a small assortment for boys and adults. DeGeneres released a video encouraging girls to be their true selves.
For spring’s full footwear launch, the Camuto Group is “working closing with the ED team to develop an innovative launch strategy that drives buzz through experiential brand and category integrations that we believe will resonate with consumers and Ellen’s engaged fan base,” according to chief executive officer Alex Del Cielo.
There may be more to come. “We are focusing on footwear to begin and are open to exploring additional opportunities together as the brand develops,” he said.