fashion

Businesses: Victoria Beckham, Victoria Beckham Beauty

The former Spice Girl founded her fashion label in 2008 before unveiling a line of luxury beauty products in 2019.

“When I decided to launch my brand independently, the guiding principle was and still is, to create products I cannot find,” she told Forbes in 2023. “I’ve been welcomed by the beauty industry since day one. I am very hands on with both fashion and beauty and I think that fact is felt and respected by both the industry and the consumer.”

Business: Treslúce Beauty

Becky G launched her line of cosmetics in 2021.

“I could’ve named it Becky G Cosmetics but I didn’t because it’s not about slapping my name on something and getting my bag, and that’s it,” she told Teen Vogue of the brand. “Treslúce is more ‘we’ than ‘me.’ It’s really about creating spaces in the beauty industry that elevate our voices and that elevate our stories.”

Business: Ivy Park

Bey first launched Ivy Park in 2016 with Top Shop owner Sir Philip Green a partnership that ended in 2018. In 2019, the singer’s Parkwood Entertainment resurrected the brand by way of a new collaboration with Adidas; however, the two companies mutually split in 2023, reportedly due to creative differences.

Business: Sun Goddess Wines

Blige teamed up with Fantinel Winery in Italy in 2020 to create her own range of white wines and rosés. “I have always been particularly fond of white wines that demonstrate freshness, minerality, and purity,” she writes in a statement on the product’s website. “After walking though the vineyards and tasting with the Fantinel family, I felt extremely connected to the place, and more importantly, the people.”

Business: Whipshots

Only an artist as singular as Cardi B could shake up the liquor industry with a project as unique as Whipshots, the rapper’s brand of vodka-infused whipped cream cans.

“I’m not really a hardcore liquor-drinking person. And I like things that are sexy and tasty. It’s going to be a party in every can,” she told Billboard upon the company’s launch. “At one time I was planning to do margaritas, but this is more fun.”

Business: Black Irish

The Songbird Supreme announced in 2021 that she’d be trying her hand at cream liqueurs, unveiling original, white chocolate and salted caramel flavors inspired by her mixed heritage. “I wanted to create something that embodies the holidays and gives everyone a reason to celebrate year-round, and I really think we have done that with Black Irish,” she said at the time.

Businesses: OAM Skin

Aiming to simplify skincare routines for consumers, Ciara launched her skincare line OAM — or, “On a Mission” — in 2022.

“It all goes to the power of believing in yourself,” the singer, who is also a co-owner of Ten to One Rum, told Allure of her entrepreneurship. “I always say I’m a woman of ambition on a mission.”

Business: Haus Laboratories

Mother Monster first unveiled her Haus Labs makeup line in 2019. In 2022, the brand was relaunched and picked up by Sephora.

“I’m extremely excited to announce that we are bringing brand new supercharged clean artistry makeup to the world, through a place that has inspired me for years,” Gaga tweeted at the time. “At Haus Labs, artistry is for everyone, and no one should have to damage their skin or sacrifice their principles and values to be self-expressive with high-performance makeup.”

Business: Rare Beauty

Gomez announced her beauty brand in 2020, taking inspiration from her third studio album Rare for the empire’s name.

“I think Rare Beauty can be more than a beauty brand,” the multi-hyphenate said at the time, before the company officially launched later that year. “I want us all to stop comparing ourselves to each other, and just start embracing our own uniqueness. You’re not defined by a photo, a like or a comment. Rare Beauty isn’t about how other people see you, it’s about how you see yourself.”

Business: R.E.M. Beauty

“At first glance, makeup and music are completely different, but they both come to life in an unspoken way,” Grande said of her beauty line in a 2021 interview, the year R.E.M. launched. “A song comes to life when it’s expressed through a music video, which requires beauty, makeup, hair and so on.”

“They are totally different, but totally hold hands in a way,” the singer continued. “The main similarity is the attention to construction. In music, I spend a lot of time developing the pre-chorus and making sure the harmony goes well with the strings. Everything is complementary with one another, and the same goes for makeup. The two are so wildly different yet so similar.”

Businesses: Celine Dion Collection and Celinununu

Ms. Dion first unveiled her own collection of bags in 2017 before inking a deal with Nordstrom to have her products carried in stores that year.

In 2018, she partnered with children’s clothing brand Nununu to launch her own line of kidswear, cleverly dubbed Celinununu.

Business: Cherlato

Cher launched her line of gelatos in collaboration with Giapo ice cream in 2023. “I don’t know anything about business,” she told Forbes. “I just don’t, but I wanted to do ice cream. I wanted to have an ice cream company, and I love it! Who knows what’s going to happen? It was a labor of love and I wanted to do it, and I did it.”

Business: About-Face

Ashley Frangipane, aka Halsey, debuted About-Face early 2021. “Makeup is an art and art is about happy accidents, not any one ideal of perfection,” the indie pop musician said in a statement at the time. “I always feel the most free when I am creating looks without following any rules. The beauty industry has norms, but I want to encourage people to challenge those standards and allow things to be imperfect and fun.”

Business: Bounty & Full

Kelis offers beauty and wellness products as well as a range of sauces with Bounty & Full. “I make products with real love and intention,” the “Milkshake” singer wrote on Instagram in 2023. “For my family and yours … I research and source ingredients from all over the world. It’s beyond organic , made by my hands with love.”

Business: Keys SoulCare

Keys unveiled SoulCare in 2020 in partnership with Elf cosmetics, describing the brand as “paying attention to that part inside of you that you can’t see, that you can feel, and nourishing it, fulfilling it, spoiling it and loving it.”

Business: Patti’s Good Life

Labelle launched her southern comfort foods back in 2008 — and more than 15 years later, the business is still going strong. In 2023, the soul legend was listed in Forbes‘ 50 Over 50 ranking, which reported that her revenue for the year was $20 million.

Businesses: Red 55 Winery and Idyllwind

Lambert launched her own signature line of wines in 2006, followed by her cowgirl clothing line Idyllwind in 2018. She also owns the Pink Pistol boutique in her hometown of Lindale, Tex.

Business: Yitty

Lizzo unveiled her line of all-inclusive, body positive shapewear in 2022, naming the company after her childhood nickname. “I was like, I wanna create a product that, even if you see it, it’s not shameful,” she explained to Harper’s Bazaar upon Yitty’s launch. “It’s not embarrassing. It’s actually sexy and liberating and you could take your shirt off and be like, ‘Yeah, I gotta bright ass blue bra or shaping bra or whatever underneath my shirt.’ And even if you wanna go to the club, you could take your work clothes off and you got a whole fit underneath.”

Businesses: JLo Beauty

Jenny from the Block opened JLo Beauty in 2021. “It’s taken 20 years to realize this dream,” she told InStyle at the time. “I haven’t been this genuinely excited about a project of mine in a long time, and that is not bulls–t. My skin is the No. 1 thing I’ve been asked about. Even when I’m talking about a movie, a song, or an album I’m putting out, everyone’s like, “What are you doing for your skin?”

Businesses: Kylie Minogue Wines

In addition to the line of beauty products she sells on her website, Minogue also owns her own wine business. “My main concern was quality,” the pop star told W Magazine of the brand, which she launched internationally in 2020. “There’s no point to waste my time — and everyone’s time — if it was a product that we didn’t really believe in, and didn’t think had a chance of longevity to become a proper brand.”

Business: Prospero Tequila

Ora created Próspero with distiller Stella Anguiano and became the chief creative partner for the tequila brand in 2020.

“It’s rare to see women unless it’s like a prosecco or a wine or something more delicate… Spirits are more challenging for women and everyone knows I like a challenge,” the “Black Widow” singer told Foodism that year. “If you’ve seen my career over the past 10 years, I’ve done a lot in TV and music and fashion. I always want to keep pushing and pushing. This is another thing to add on that I’m super proud of. We worked really hard on it.”

Businesses: Dollywood and Duncan Hines Kitchen

Parton famously repurposed Silver Dollar City theme park in Pigeon Ford, Tenn. into Dollywood in 1986, becoming the co-owner of one of the state’s yearly top ticketed tourist attractions. “I always thought that if I made it big or got successful at what I had started out to do, that I wanted to come back to my part of the country and do something great, something that would bring a lot of jobs into this area,” the country legend said of the venture in a 2010 Associated Press interview celebrating the park’s 25th anniversary.

In 2022, she launched her own line of cake mixes and frostings with Duncan Hines, which she followed up with a batch of corn break, biscuit and brownie options in 2023.

Businesses: Katy Perry Collections and De Soi

The “Firework” singer launched her shoe brand Katy Perry Collections in 2017. Five years later, she teamed up with Morgan McLachlan to co-found De Soi, a line of non-alcoholic sparkling aperitifs.

“I am proud of my position as a boss, as a person that runs my own company,” Perry told Forbes back in 2015. “I’m an entrepreneur. … I don’t want to shy away from it. I actually want to kind of grab it by its balls.”

Businesses: Fenty Beauty, Savage x Fenty and Fenty Skin

One of the most prolific musician-turned-moguls in the game, Rihanna is a self-made billionaire thanks to her Fenty enterprises. “I never could have anticipated the emotional connection that women are having with the products and the brand as a whole,” Ri Ri told TIME shortly after launching her first venture. “Some are finding their shade of foundation for the first time, getting emotional at the counter. That’s something I will never get over.”

Business: Pattern Beauty

Ross launched her Black haircare company in 2019 after spending 10 years trying to get the company off the ground, she told Forbes in 2023. “I knew what I could deliver but the industry was not where it is now,” the Black-ish star told the publication. “The acceptance of the power, importance and beauty of Black haircare was not in the place it is today. Some of the challenges came from the change in the industry, some from the change in my career. Some of it was just being able to articulate what it was that I wanted to do.”

Business: The Jessica Simpson Collection

Simpson built her clothing and accessories brand into a multimillion dollar company after founding it in 2005. In 2015, she sold a majority of her claim to The Jessica Simpson Collection to Sequential Brands Inc., a move that went south fast financially.

In 2019, however, the “I Wanna Love You Forever” singer set out to regain full ownership of the company — a fight she officially won two years later. “It was a journey but I never lost faith in myself,” she told Forbes of the decision in 2022. “I never let fear come in, it was not invited! A lot of people around me are like, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure?’ And I was like if you’re not sure, you’re fired because that means you don’t believe in me and that means that you don’t believe in what I can do and my purpose.”

Business: Hey Humans

Pinkett Smith launched Hey Humans — the first self care brand to be 99% plastic-free, according to Target — in 2021. “What really inspired me was my kids, Willow and Jaden, who have educated me around the environment and the necessity to really shift habit in the way we consume,” she told People that year. “I love personal care and I’m a beauty junkie, but recently I’ve had a lot of anxiety around packaging, and I thought, ‘What can I do in this space?’”

Businesses: L.A.M.B. and GXVE Beauty

Stefani founded her L.A.M.B. fashion line in 2003, followed by GXVE — pronounced “give” — almost 20 years later. “I look back on 15 years as a designer and realize that, by its nature, fashion is always progressing,” the No Doubt frontwoman told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019. “You can’t hold it in one place or stand still. I learned to be very open because you’re always evolving; that’s what fashion is, too. Another collection, another season. It doesn’t get old.”

Business: Calia

Underwood launched her activewear brand exclusively with Dick’s Sporting Goods in 2015. “It’s fun being creative and it’s fun making clothes that I love to wear,” the American Idol alum told People in 2019. “But then you see how people are using them in lives, and taking ownership over their health and feeling better about themselves.”

In 2021, she announced plans to step away from the company.

Business: Good Dye Young

Paramore’s frontwoman founded her line of vibrant hair color kits in 2016 with her longtime stylist Brian O’Connor. “Hair is one of the coolest and easiest tools that we have for self-expression,” reads a message from Williams on the Good Dye Young website. “It’s your own personal megaphone and it’s attached to your head! Our purpose is to create an all-inclusive culture that inspires creativity and empowers everyone’s journey through self-discovery with a whole lot more fun so we can all dye happy.”