Shoes

[ANewHue]

I was doing sometching here yesterday and saw a pair.  I couldn't believe my eyes. They were flats with stones on them.  I think this is a stretch from jewelry to shoes?  When did this happen?

[Zita]

Oh, these celebrity salespeople -- it's like the announcement that Rachael Ray now has a line of furniture!

Playing on the gullible.

[millieshops]

Saw them -  it's a big company and jewelry everywhere is a tough sell right now.  I just assume they're trying whatever they can to make enough money to survive.  What I didn't see was whether they sold because as usual I surfed in during the commercial of the show I was watching.

Anyway - they might as well try shoes with a bit of the Ripka touch as anything else.  Doesn't have to mean Judith herself crafted them.  I doubt she did - any more than I think any of the designers we see anywhere do the whole process by themselves.

[millieshops]

Celebrity salespeople are all over -- and they are perfect for TV whether you're buying Linea from QVC or a Lincoln because Matthew purports to love his, etc.  We live in a celebrity-driven culture right down to lots of very serious issues.  I understand it -  I just don't particularly like it -  for my clothes or my ideas.

[itsmagic]

Now that Ripka is owned by Xcel Brands (which owns Mizrahi, Halston, C Wonder) it seems like it would be easy for the Ripka brand to branch off into shoes too. 

[terrier3]

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@Zita wrote:

Oh, these celebrity salespeople -- it's like the announcement that Rachael Ray now has a line of furniture!

Playing on the gullible.

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Same thing with Paula Deen furniture.

I just checked out the shoes - what a laugh!

It's obvious a buyer went to China, looked through a manufacturer's catalogue and picked out some styles - then jacked up the prices!!!

[Nonametoday]

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@terrier3 wrote:

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@Zita wrote:

Oh, these celebrity salespeople -- it's like the announcement that Rachael Ray now has a line of furniture!

Playing on the gullible.

---

Same thing with Paula Deen furniture.

I just checked out the shoes - what a laugh!

It's obvious a buyer went to China, looked through a manufacturer's catalogue and picked out some styles - then jacked up the prices!!!

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I believe Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors are into everything including dietary.  It's good old ingenuity.  It allows a person to make a living off one item when another is not selling well.  

[BARBIE100]

It's just the advantage of being an entrepreneur.

[culebra]

The Ripka brand will be expanding.  This was one of the reasons she sold her company to grow it.  Ripka is a big shareholder in Xcel Brands.  She also gets a % of her sales.  She also received a lot of cash.

[handygal2]

Judith Ripka sold some handbags on the Q several years ago. They were small leather clutches, and quilted bags with chain handles, from what l can remember-- classy, dressy bags. They went away after a short time, though.