Smells Like Teen Fashion - The Hottest Teen Idols and Their Celebrity Fashion Design Labels

You've got to love today's teen idols. They sing. They dance. They act. And they design clothes. They might not have two years of fashion school under their belts, but their legions of fans represent sizable buying power, so it's inevitable that these celebrities would lend their names to a label. However, even the most popular teen idols don't necessarily find success with their namesake brands. As with any fashion line, it takes a well-designed, marketable product to be a success. Let's take a look at ten of the most notable celebrity fashion lines by teen idols, some that have become wildly successful, and some that have fizzled.

Avril Lavigne. Lavigne's "Abbey Dawn" clothing line for Kohl's is one of the retailer's best-selling brands. Her signature pieces include skinny jeans, hoodies, and graphic tees. She even collaborated with Disney for an "Alice in Wonderland" inspired collection, demonstrating the strength of the Abbey Dawn line. One reason the singer's line is so successful is because she has always been known for her offbeat fashion as much as she has for her music.

Gwen Stefani. Unlike most celebrities who launch fashion labels, Stefani actually has roots in fashion design. She comes from a long line of seamstresses, and she created most of the outfits she wore on stage as No Doubt's lead singer. It's no wonder that with this expertise, her "L.A.M.B." line has become one of the most critically respected and financially successful celebrity brands in history, with sales of more than $90 million a year.

Miley Cyrus. She's already conquered the worlds of television, movies, and music, so the teen idol is out to rock the fashion design world as well. She's teamed with Max Azria of BCBG for the "Miley and Max" line for Walmart, a mix of boho chic and English rocker looks.

Justin Timberlake. Just as Timberlake transcended boy band teen idol status to become a global superstar, his clothing label "William Rast" has gone beyond being only a celebrity line of denim. It is now a high-end lifestyle brand encompassing leather jackets, outerwear, and tops for both men and women. The brand has become so successful, William Rast flagship stores have opened in Los Angeles and Santa Clara, California. Perhaps one reason William Rast has succeeded is that Timberlake hired actual fashion designers to develop the collection.

Lindsay Lohan. A stint as Artistic Advisor for Emanuel Ungaro resulted in a critically panned collection. Although she has parted ways with Ungaro, she continues with her own "6126" line. Originally just a line of leggings, 6126 now features dresses and bodysuits inspired by Marilyn Monroe.

Taylor Swift. The multi Grammy-winning teen queen partnered with clothing label LEI to create a line of $14 sundresses that were sold exclusively at Walmart. After one season, the line was no longer available at the store.

Mandy Moore. The once tween pop star and actress branched into fashion with her line "Mblem," a brand of contemporary knitwear and cashmere that sold in high-end boutiques and department stores. After three years, she pulled the plug on the line, saying she would get back into fashion when she found a partnership that reflected her ideas, which was not happening with Mblem.

Hilary Duff. The "Lizzy McGuire" star's first foray into fashion was her clothing line "Stuff by Hilary Duff," which was sold through Target. The company soon expanded its business to include furniture, fragrance and jewelry, but Duff eventually discontinued the line when she felt she did not have full creative control anymore. She then launched "Femme for DKNY" in a partnership with Donna Karan, which sold very well.

Lauren Conrad. After attending fashion college at FIDM and interning at Teen Vogue. the reality TV star developed "The Lauren Conrad Collection," which was carried at trendy boutiques like Kitson. Because of lackluster sales, however, the line was discontinued. Undaunted, she is now in Kohl's stores with the affordably priced "LC Lauren Conrad" line.

Ashley & Mary-Kate Olsen. The ultimate celebrity entrepreneurs, the Olsen Twins became fashion icons with their boho chic style, and are all over the fashion design landscape with several labels targeted to different markets. Besides a clothing line for Walmart, they've launched a couture label called "The Row," as well as a contemporary line called "Elizabeth and James," named after their siblings.

Teen idols come and go, and so do their fashion labels. But it looks like the trend of celebrity fashion designers are here to stay.

Before They Were Brands - How Some Top Fashion Design Labels Got Their Start

They're the must-have fashion design labels, the status brands that we just have to wear. But some labels and designers have become such a part of our fashion culture that it's easy to forget that they weren't always successful brands. At one point, the founders were fashion school students, stock boys or sales clerks. In fact, learning about how the designers got their start makes one admire them even more. Here, then, are some top fashion labels and the story of their humble beginnings.

Marc Jacobs. One of today's top design celebrities, Marc Jacobs' first job in fashion was as a stock boy at Charavari, an avant-garde clothing boutique in Manhattan. After graduating from high school, he went to fashion college, where he launched a line of hand-knit sweaters. His first job out of fashion school was at Perry Ellis, but he designed a grunge collection there that led to his dismissal. In 1986, with the help of financial backers, he designed his first collection bearing the Marc Jacobs label.

Kenneth Cole. Not many people realize that the full name of Kenneth Cole's brand is "Kenneth Cole Productions." Why is that? In 1982, the designer wanted to show his first line of shoes at Market Week at the New York Hilton, but couldn't afford a hotel room or exhibit space. So instead, he parked a trailer two blocks from the hotel to sell his shoes. The only catch was that only production companies were granted permits to park trailers on the street. Not letting that stop him, he turned his shoe company into a film production company, shooting a documentary about his business and selling 40,000 pairs of shoes in the process.

Juicy Couture. The label that popularized the velour track suit was founded by fashion school grad Pamela Skaist-Levy and and Gela Nash-Taylor, wife of Duran Duran's John Taylor. Believe it or not, their first product was maternity pants. After changing the brand's focus to active wear, the brand continued to struggle until they sent a free track suit to Madonna with "Madge" emblazoned on it. The superstar was photographed wearing it in public, and Juicy Couture was on the map.

Vera Wang. She may be known for her elegant wedding gowns and costumes for figure skaters like Michelle Kwan, but Vera Wang actually started out as a figure skater as well. She competed at the 1968 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and was one of "Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd" that year. She failed to make the U.S. Olympic team and began a career in fashion journalism. She was a senior fashion editor for "Vogue" for 16 years, but left when she was turned down for the top job that Anna Wintour secured. She then became a design director at Ralph Lauren before striking out on her own.

Anna Sui. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Anna Sui loved fashion as a little girl, clipping out fashion magazine pages for her scrapbook. After attending fashion college, she worked for various junior sportswear companies by day, and designing her own clothing by night, eventually launching her own label out of her tiny New York apartment.

Ralph Lauren. Born Ralph Lifshitz, the designer's first foray into fashion was selling neckties to his fellow classmates at his Talmudical academy. After serving in the U.S. Army, he worked for Brooks Brothers as a sales clerk. In 1967, he became an entrepreneur and opened a necktie store where he sold various labels, including his own, which he called "Polo." He soon introduced men's and women's suits to his line, and eventually gained international recognition when he designed the clothes for the Robert Redford movie, "The Great Gatsby."

These brands may have started out small, but they became fashion giants. And that's inspiration indeed for anyone wanting to break into fashion design.