Top 10 Richest Celebrity Designers

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You’ll be surprised by who made the list: Which celebrity designers made it rain in 2008?

And given the recession, which of these 10 will still be holding on to their crown in 2009?

#10. Jennifer Lopez – JustSweet

Last year, J.Lo managed to rake in $7 million in earnings, even though it’s been a while since we’ve seen anything from her juniors clothing collection JustSweet.Maybe we have to wait until she delivers a third baby. Hey J, how about a maternity line?

#9. Serena Williams – Aneres

Serena Williams earned a cool $14M in 2008, helped in part by her own clothing line Aneres. Established in 2004, the brand is designed by Serena herself, who has an art background. The tennis star is often seen out and about in her own collection, but we wonder why we don’t really see much Aneres these days? Maybe this article will tickle Serena’s creative bones.

#8. Sarah Jessica Parker – Bitten, Perfume Lines

Sarah Jessica Parker is sitting pretty on the $18M she made last year, even though her Bitten apparel collection bit the proverbial dust after huge retailer Steve and Barry’s was forced to fold in late 2008.

But with the recent greenlight on the Sex and The City movie sequel, perhaps SJP will have enough juice to launch a brand new clothing line… stay tuned.

#7. Sean Diddy Combs – Sean John

Well surprise surprise! We thought P. Diddy would be the richest celebrity designer alive, probably he did too.

But no, even with a cool $25 million earnings in 2008, P.Diddy got the designer pants beat off of him by 6 other competitors. We still give him props though. He’s demonstrated with his Sean John collection that he’s great at creating gentlemanly looks for G’s. He might not be as rich as some other people, but he’s definitely a KING of style in our book.

#6. Gwen Stefani – Harajuku Lovers, LAMB

The singer / celebrity designer / yummy mummy, Gwen Stefani, is sitting comfortably at number 6 with $27M in earnings. Her funky lifestyle brands, Harajuku Lovers and L.A.M.B., are both hits with CelebrityClothingLine.com readers and have contributed significantly to Ms. Stefani’s piggybank.

#5. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen – Elizabeth & James, The Row

The tinseltown twins share the #5 spot with earnings of $35M, thanks to their Dual Star empire. Although their mugs and names are all over videos, books, to self-produced home movies, you won’t see this type of blatant star marketing on their more sophisticated Elizabeth & James clothing collection or their even more upscale collection: The Row.

These two celebrity designers are the brains behind every fashion item in both lines. It’s said that their involvement is very hands-on, and “real” designers have given the pair kudos over their sophisticated tastes and creativity.

#4. Giselle Bundchen – Ipanema

Although the highest-paid supermodel in the world was said to be working on a clothing line with Dolce and Gabbana, it turns out the rumor is false. Ms. Bundchen instead went green and designed a line of sandals called Ipanema, which contributed to her bottom line of $35 million last year.

If you purchase a pair of Ipanema kicks, you are contributing to re-foresting the Atlantic treeline through the Florestas do Futuro program, sponsored by the SOS Mata Atlantica.

#3. Beyonce – Dereon

With 2008 earnings of $80 million, Bey is 2 mil short of keeping up with her husband Jay-Z, so we guess he gets to keep picking up the check. She’s making a strong play this year with Dereon and the luxury collection designed by her mom Tina Knowles, House of Dereon.

#2. Jay-Z – Rocawear

Jay-Z aka Shawn Corey Carter, is now the second richest hip-hop celebrity designer with earnings of $82M. He sold Rocawear for $204M in 2007, but is still involved in overseeing marketing and plays frontman for the brand.

Apparently he hasn’t gotten over his creative thing for threads because he bought high-end streetwear brand Artful Dodger right after selling Rocawear.

#1. 50 Cent – G-Unit clothing

The richest man in hip-hop and now the richest celebrity designer: 50 Cent aka Curtis James Jackson III, who’s raked in $150M in 2008. Word.

He founded The G-Unit Clothing Company in 2003 with Marc Ecko, inspired by his own style and fellow members of G-Unit.As a do-gooder, 50 makes sure he shares his wealth. G-Unit sponsors The Book Bank Foundation and donated proceeds to the G-Unity Foundation.

Surprises missing from the list: Kimora Lee Simmons for Baby Phat, Justin Timberlake for William Rast, Nelly for Apple Bottoms and last but not least, Miley Cyrus for the Hannah Montana clothing line. Perhaps these contenders will shove their way to the top 10 for 2009… stay tuned!

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Ashlee Vensel

Ashlee Vensel is a freelance writer born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After getting a degree in English at UCLA she immediately began work as a freelance writer and moved to Denver, Colorado. Though she enjoys the Rocky Mountains, she plans to move back home soon.

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