30 Jan Gwen Stefani: Fashion Forward

Stars Who Mean Business

“Hollaback Girl” Gwen Stefani’s creative accomplishments have brought her global fame as a music icon, but she’s also a successful businesswoman in the fashion world.

Stefani says she’s been fashion-forward since her mother taught her to sew when she was a girl. In 2003, Stefani launched her own clothing line, L.A.M.B., named for Love Angel Music Baby, her debut solo album. The line has been wildly successful, selling in stores worldwide and earning Stefani some $90 million per year.

“I’m not going to be running around doing cartwheels on stage for the rest of my life,” Stefani says. “L.A.M.B. is something that can be lasting and something I can continue to do . . . with a family.”

Since beginning L.A.M.B., Stefani has launched spinoffs, including Harajuku Lovers, named for the Tokyo district at the epicenter of Japanese street style. That line now includes accessories for pets, such as hats, sweaters, and bow ties. Last fall she added a new Harajuku Lovers perfume collection and a high-end children’s clothing line called Chasing Fireflies.

Stefani is known for her playful, theatrical sense of style, but she says that at the heart of her collections for women are clothes that are comfortable to live in. “It’s kind of easy to make that really cool, quirky, fancy piece, but then you wear it one time and it’s over,” she told Harpersbazaar.com. “I’m always trying to make clothes that I want to wear every day.”