Scottish Daily Mail

Revealed: why Burberry’s so obsessed with signing celebs’ children as models

They help the fashion giant flog £250 keyrings and £26 lip gloss to ordinary teens

- by Sarah Rainey

Plum-coloured lips slightly parted, the model rests her cheek on her hand as she fixes the camera with an insouciant stare. Her piercing green eyes, alabaster skin and pillowy pout are the mirror image of her mother’s; that enviable bone structure inherited from her father.

Though Iris law, daughter of former model Sadie Frost and actor Jude law, clearly possesses the confidence of someone twice her age, she is, in fact, only 16.

revealed this week as the new face of British fashion house Burberry, Iris appears in ads for its new lipstick, liquid lip Velvet (£26).

despite not being old enough to drive, vote or drink, the teenager is reportedly paid six figures to front Burberry’s latest campaign.

Sound familiar? Well, it should — for Iris is far from the first celebrity offspring to turn her hand to modelling for the brand.

The Beckham boys, lizzy Jagger, Pierce Brosnan’s son dylan, Bryan Ferry’s son Tara, Keith richards’ granddaugh­ter ella...the list of models with A-list heritage goes on and on.

Blessed with good looks, willowy limbs and flawless complexion­s (as well as the poise and self-confidence that comes with growing up in the spotlight), the sons and daughters of actors, models and TV presenters are a natural fit for the modelling world.

Indeed, Burberry has proven the perfect springboar­d for many a star, including cara delevingne — scouted in 2012, at 24 she now has a net worth of £14.5 million.

Signing celebrity children is no one-off coup; rather, fashion analysts say employing teenagers with famous parents masks a covert bid to capture the under-18s market.

‘Burberry’s children’s range only goes up to age 14, so using older teens in ads will make its adult range more appealing to aspiring teens,’ explains charlotte Pearce, an analyst at Verdict retail. ‘In using these young, glossy teenagers with well-known mums and dads, it is portraying an aspiration­al, lifestyle family brand that will draw in parents, as well as their children.

‘It’s also capitalisi­ng on the “mini-me” trend, which continues to be popular in the luxury clothing market, whereby parents dress their children in lookalike versions of their own designer clothes.’

Burberry, worth an estimated £5.75billion, can certainly afford to pay its young models more than pocket money (romeo Beckham, middle son of Victoria and david, reportedly earned £45,000 for a day’s work)— and, in return, it gets a hefty boost to its own sales.

Since christophe­r Bailey took the helm in 2014, profits have risen by 8 per cent — a surge that coincides with the brand’s use of famous teens in its campaigns.

Burberry has simultaneo­usly expanded its range to include items that specifical­ly target school-age boys and girls.

Shoppers at its flagship oxford Street store can browse £250 fluffy keyrings, £350 glittery purses and cashmere teddy bears worth £395.

Its £275 baby-pink trainers have been lauded in Teen Vogue; the £105 heart-shaped suede charms are coveted by schoolgirl­s up and down the country; and even boys are clamouring for its £195 checked shirts, £165 beanies and £350 trainers.

meanwhile, the new lipstick has been compared by beauty experts to American reality star Kylie Jenner’s £23.50 lip kit, which caused a stampede among teenagers when it launched last year.

The 12 to 25-year-old market is a profligate one, with American consumers in this age bracket spending £25million a year — and that’s not including money spent on them by their parents.

A recent study found that ‘pester power’ costs uK parents £2 billion a year — £460 a child — much of it on clothes and technology.

While designer labels account for 7 per cent of global clothing purchases, among teenagers this doubles to 14 per cent, so it’s no wonder Burberry is keen to cash in. Studies have shown that simply featuring teens in campaigns makes it highly likely young people watching the ads will go on to buy those products.

It’s a tactic already employed by adolescent brands Jack Wills and Abercrombi­e & Fitch, whose campaigns feature glossy-haired, smiling youngsters doing wholesome, outdoorsy activities.

Social media means ads are now doubly effective, as coveted bags, clothes and make-up are instantly ‘shared’ with their peer group. Karinna Nobbs, senior lecturer in digital fashion strategy at the British School of Fashion, says using celebrity offspring, rather than ordinary teenage models, exerts an even stronger influence on impression­able young consumers.

‘They have an authentic pedigree, which differenti­ates them from models or bloggers,’ she explains. ‘You also get the attention of older consumers who grew up with their parents, as there is a curiosity as to what these children look like.

‘This helps them to stand out in a noisy fashion environmen­t.’

Bailey, 45, a former designer at the brand, is at the root of most of Burberry’s celebrity ties. He counts the Beckhams, American Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Sir elton John among his closest friends — so the pool of A-list offspring is his for the hiring.

A quiet chat with mum and dad — and a scarf here, a trenchcoat there — ensures that the little star or starlet becomes a Burberry ambassador forever more.

It may look like Iris, romeo et al can’t get enough of the brand, but really, it’s all part of a clever marketing strategy designed to lure in susceptibl­e young shoppers.

‘Teenagers are the future, and it’s about planting the seed that their brand exists,’ says Saisangeet­h daswani, an advisory strategist at market research company Stylus. ‘They, in particular, are known to have a huge influence on households and parental purchases.’

Something any parent who’s ever shelled out £250 on a keyring will know only too well.

BURBERRY BABES IRIS LAW, 16

WITH Kate moss as a godmother, it was never going to be long before 16-year-old Iris was on the catwalk.

‘I’ve been wearing Burberry since I was really young; my first baby carrier was from Burberry,’ she claims.

She’s already appeared in Teen Vogue and, last year, was rumoured to be on the verge of signing for chanel in Paris.

Iris credits mum Sadie, 51, who started her modelling career as a teenager in the eighties, with her interest in fashion. She says: ‘I like looking at pictures of my mum when she was my age and seeing her make-up and little dresses.’

ROMEO BECKHAM, 14

THe middle son of Victoria and david landed his first Burberry deal at the tender age of ten. He stayed with the brand for three years, appearing alongside Naomi campbell and rosie Huntington-Whiteley in the 2015 christmas campaign.

The floppy-haired teen has been spotted wearing a Burberry trench-

coat (£495) and the iconic checked scarf (£350).

BROOKLYN BECKHAM, 17

Big brother Brooklyn has shedloads of modelling experience, appearing on the cover of Miss Vogue in 2015 and in several designer campaigns since.

However, Brooklyn has gained most attention for appearing not in front of the camera, but behind it, when he shot Burberry’s ‘This is Brit’ fragrance campaign last year.

The ad involved Brooklyn standing in a gritty London alleyway, taking arty photograph­s of upand-coming models.

He says he gets style tips from both parents: ‘My mum knows a lot about fashion, but obviously, i listen to my dad, as he has great style and we share clothes.’

EDIE CAMPBELL, 26

THe daughter of architect Sophie Hicks and businessma­n Roddy Campbell, edie and her lookalike younger sister Olympia, 20, are both in-demand catwalk stars.

edie, who was discovered by photograph­er Mario Testino aged 15, has appeared on the cover of British Vogue and starred in Burberry’s 2016 summer campaign. Her sister is a stalwart at Mulberry.

But edie is far from just another clothes horse; she’s actually an experience­d horse-rider, and has competed at glorious goodwood and the gucci Masters.

DYLAN BROSNAN, 20

THe son of former James Bond Pierce Brosnan, Dylan was unveiled as one of the stars of Burberry’s 2015 campaign, shot by Mario Testino. With his shaggy hair and dishevelle­d outfit, the teenager — then 18 — gained legions of female fans, who swooned over his rock star appearance.

it wasn’t his first modelling gig: he’s walked the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week and previously posed for Yves Saint Laurent.

ELLA RICHARDS, 20

WiLLOWY blonde ella is the granddaugh­ter of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and daughter of Nineties model Lucie de la Falaise. She made her debut earlier than most — aged one — alongside her mother and Kate Moss in a shoot for W magazine. in 2011, she was Kate’s flower girl.

ella, who lives in West Sussex, was unveiled as the face of Burberry in 2015 and has graced the runways of Prada, Valentino, Calvin Klein, Fendi, erdem and Topshop.

BELLA YENTOB, 22

BORN to television executive Alan Yentob and documentar­y-maker Philippa Walker, student Bella was picked to model for Burberry at London Fashion Week last year.

‘i’ve never been that comfortabl­e in front of the camera, so it was nice that there was no make-up and also nice that my first campaign was with Burberry, a brand i really respect,’ she said.

Bella has no desire to stay in fashion, however, and dreams of becoming a writer or journalist.

ELIZA FAIRBANKS, 18

KeNT-BORN eliza is the granddaugh­ter of the famous Twenties actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

She was scouted while shopping with her family — and within months had appeared in a global fashion ad: the 2016 Burberry spring/summer campaign. She says the best modelling advice she’s ever received came from Mario Testino: ‘He told me to always slightly part my lips, i will never forget that.’

TARA FERRY, 26

ONe of the ‘bad boy’ sons of Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry, Tara — who spends his days drumming in a band — starred in Burberry’s 2011 campaign.

He’s been shot by Mario Testino and modelled for Lanvin, as well as appearing in Vogue, gQ and an H&M campaign alongside his father. Suave Tara, whose mother is the aristocrat­ic former model Lucy Helmore, once dated actress Alicia Vikander.

 ??  ?? Brooklyn Beckham: A talent behind the camera as well as in front of it
Brooklyn Beckham: A talent behind the camera as well as in front of it
 ?? Picture research: CLAIRE CISOTTI ?? Stylish Spice: Romeo Beckham reportedly earned £45,000 for a day’s work Good breeding (from top): Iris Law, Dylan Brosnan and Ella Richards pout up a storm in Burberry
Picture research: CLAIRE CISOTTI Stylish Spice: Romeo Beckham reportedly earned £45,000 for a day’s work Good breeding (from top): Iris Law, Dylan Brosnan and Ella Richards pout up a storm in Burberry

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