French luxury-goods company Christian Dior SA Wednesday will unveil a line of mobile phones, extending beyond its traditional fashion business to boost sales, particularly with brand-hungry consumers in new markets such as China and Russia.Suppose it was inevitable. Doesn't look like Dior are pioneering a breakthrough in mobile phones design, though I will admit the white one would look good in the palm of your paw.The new Dior phone -- priced from €3,500, or $5,000, and up -- comes after competitors such as Prada SpA and Dolce & Gabbana have turned their fashion-branded mobile phones into significant businesses.
Dior's move comes as high-end fashion houses are crossing the boundaries of traditional fashion items to boost sales. After the licensing heyday of the 1980s, which cheapened the names of many fashion houses by putting them on items ranging from lighters to toilet-seat covers, labels reeled in their branding efforts during the 1990s.
Yet in recent years, many companies have branched out again, this time with a pledge to be more selective about how they use their name.With mobile phones, fashion brands have insisted on taking part in both design and marketing. Last year, when Italian fashion house Prada launched a phone with South Korea's LG Electronics Inc., Prada tinkered with the touch screen and preloaded content in addition to working on the phone's basic design.
Mr. Toledano said the idea of creating a Dior phone was driven by demand in new luxury markets such as China and Russia.
Via The Wall Street Journal
