28 Feb Jennifer Lopez

For a girl from the South Bronx who, as she puts it, “grew up on very limited resources,” Jennifer Lopez has done more than okay for herself. Not only has she made it big time as an actress, singer, songwriter, and dancer, but she has also been a huge success as a TV producer and fashion designer. According to Forbes,she’s the richest person of Latin American descent in Hollywood.

Known for her sense of personal style, Lopez paired with Andy Hilfiger (Tommy’s brother) to found Sweetface Fashion in 2001. Sweetface was the holding company that produced lines of women’s clothing, jewelry, footwear, intimate apparel, and fragrances that bear the star’s nickname, J.Lo. and were sold through department stores and the Internet (www.sweetface.com). In June 2004, Sweetface Fashion opened the first freestanding J.Lo store in the Crocus City Mall in Moscow. The brands were sold in more than nine countries, with licensed products being marketed in more than forty. Though Sweetface went on hiatus in June of 2009, it did as much as $200 million in retail sales in its heyday.

Don’t feel too badly for Lopez, though; her JLO costue jewlery line is still sold in Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret catalogue continues to carry the brand’s footwear collection, and her company’s fragrances do quite well. To date six scents have been launched with Coty, and a seventh is due to be introduced this year.