Sneek Peek: MAC Hello Kitty Part Deux...
Here it is!! I promised you a deeper look and this is what I can tell you about MAC's collaboration with Hello Kitty. The line will arrive on MAC’s Web site Feb. 10, in North American stores on Feb. 12 and into overseas stores in March. A waiting list for the items will go live on Jan. 7 at maccosmetics.com. As we get closer to the launch date, I will be able to share more visuals with you but for now this is all you get!!
“MAC
has been mining pop culture since the brand was founded,” said John
Demsey, group president of the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. “This is a sexy
and innocent fashion line, and a true MAC moment. In these times,
everyone can use a little fun — and a little Kitty.” While
the 34-year-old Hello Kitty character is usually assumed to be a cat,
she is actually a girl, according to Sanrio. And a girl without a
mouth, so she “speaks from the heart,” the company said. While this collection is intended to have a sophisticated presentation,
MAC hopes to appeal to younger fans with two shades of lip
conditioners.
The Hello Kitty offerings fall into two
collections: the Hello Kitty Colour Collection and the more high-end
Hello Kitty Kouture. The bulk of the items are in the former category:
six shades of lipstick with names like Fashion Mews and Strayin’, each
$14; six Lipglass shades, each $14; and two tinted lip conditioners,
$14.50 each; two eye shadow palettes, which each contain four shades
and retail for $38; two shades of pigment are $19.50 each, and two
Reflects Glitter stockkeeping units — one blue, one pink — are $17.50
each. Four Glitter Eye Liners, each $16.50, two shades of Beauty
Powder, each $22; three shades of nail polish, each $11; a black
mascara, $12, and false lashes, $12, round out the color offerings.
Shades range from pinks and turquoises to lavenders and greens.
Hello
Kitty Kouture is intended to be the high end of the collection. Two
shades of Dazzleglass, each $28, each feature a reusable silver chain
pendant with Hello Kitty outlined in white Swarovski crystals on black
with a pink crystal bow. Sheer Mystery Powder, $90 and available in
three shades, is packaged in a silver powder compact with Hello Kitty
outlined in white Swarovski crystals with a pink crystal bow on a black
background.
The Hello
Kitty Colour items, a Petite Makeup Bag, $22, and a medium Makeup Bag,
$35, will be in all doors, currently about 581 department and specialty
stores in North America including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s,
as well as MAC’s 138 freestanding stores in North America and at
maccosmetics.com. Internationally, the items will be in 1,307 doors in
69 countries, including 296 MAC freestanding stores outside North
America. Hello Kitty Kouture will be available at MAC stores and
maccosmetics.com only. At the maximum, the collection will be available
for eight weeks.
A plush doll, $42; purse mirror, $22, and
three-brush collection, $49.50, will be available at MAC stores,
Nordstrom doors and maccosmetics.com only. A mirrored key clip, $16;
beaded bracelet, $34, will be sold in MAC retail stores and at
maccosmetics.com only, and a tote, $45 and soft vanity kit, $55, will
be exclusive to maccosmetics.com. These items are intended to animate
the counter presentation and create an entire Hello Kitty world at
retail, Gager noted.
In-store visuals, shot by Nick
Knight, show the polar opposite aspects of the collection. One is an
image of a blonde model holding a black vinyl Hello Kitty doll, which
will be part of the accessory line. The other visual is what Gager
terms “more of a dominatrix creature.” The point, said Gager, is to
show that makeup can be transformative. Makeup was done by Val Garland,
with hair by Sam McKnight.
And Demsey promises the surprises
aren’t over yet. “There will be more products to come in the next three
months with this partnership,” he said.
I will tell you this much...I saw it up close and I want it all. Especially that doll and the brush set! MEOW!! If you remember Barbie a few years back - this will be bigger mark my words. For those of you without a subscription to WWD, I have the entire article in PDF format below.
Meow Pretty!!
Download mac_says_hello_to_kitty_collection_beauty_industry_news_wwd.com.pdf
