Gwyneth Paltrow is still Gooping, as always. Goop is literally her brand now – I can’t even remember the last time we discussed Gwyneth the Actress. She’s just full-time Goop now. I assume that she making a decent income from it, but more than that, I think Gwyneth just enjoys promoting herself as a businesswoman and corporate-type now. Gwyneth enjoys giving interviews to Bloomberg rather than Vogue. And here’s another one – Gwyneth chatted with Fast Company to discuss her recent expansion to her own Goop-branded clothing, Goop Label, in the form of very expensive “capsule collections.” You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
She will never quit Gooping: “The funniest thing about that is that they’ve never been more wrong. This is my heart, my soul, my brain. I’m here all day, every day.”
The Goop label: These are meant to be staples, like a little black dress or a simple chambray button-down shirt, rather than of-the-moment trend pieces. “They create a template for a uniform,” Paltrow explains. “Easy stuff.” She insists the clothing isn’t excessively marked up, but Goop Label will be hitting the higher end of the market than these other brands, at price points of $1,195 for a coat and $595 for a dress.
Shade for designer clothes: “I find, as a consumer, that the price points of some of my favorite designer clothing is so exorbitantly expensive. I wanted to know if there was a way with the direct-to-consumer model. To create an incredible product that is slightly more aspirational, but pass on the savings to the consumer.”
No expensive advertising campaigns: Women who sign up for the mailing list will get an announcement when it is available for purchases. Paltrow says that Goop produced under 1,000 pieces of each garment for the first two collections, but all available product was snapped up within hours of going live. While the pieces themselves are luxurious, the business approach is very lean. There is no waste: no excess inventory that needs to be marked down, no expensive advertising campaigns or marketing strategies.
Gwyneth’s aesthetic: Ultimately, the secret sauce to Goop’s success is having a very clear and distinct identity, which is easy to convey because it is an extension of Paltrow herself. This has allowed Goop to cultivate an audience that appreciates its aesthetic, making it far easier to sell them products they will like. “We know who we are, that’s what makes the business resonate,” Paltrow says. “You don’t have to like our taste, but it’s our taste.”
While I’ve made fun of Goop for years now, I do have to give her credit: she not only stuck with it when she was faced with a barrage of criticism, but she also found a way to grow it into a legitimate business and a successful business at that. While I would never spend $1200 on a Gwyneth-designed coat – not that she would make it in my size, or anything larger than a size 8 anyway – there are many women who would spend that money, and Gwyneth has found them quite easily. And she’s right, that is smart branding.
Also: “I find, as a consumer, that the price points of some of my favorite designer clothing is so exorbitantly expensive.” I always think it’s hilarious when Gwyneth tries to sound like a peasant. Any day now, she’s going to visit a Costco and she’ll find it so quaint and charming.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Cat meet me kettle.
Isn’t that what she’s known for? Hideously expensive yet ugly clothing.
So does this mean she’s never ever going away? Sigh….
Exactly, hypocrite much? She complains about designer prices, yet her own site features expensive items. Not to mention what she is charging for her own shmatas, ugh…
Sounds like she’s criticizing other designers to try to drive people to her brand. But she’s unproven as a clothing designer. And I’m curious as to how she thinks she’ll be passing savings onto the customer when her prices are sky high.
Yeah, she’s out of touch but she’s far from the only celeb/businessperson to be so clueless about the average consumer. She clearly knows her market and she’s making Goop work, so good for her.
But “slightly more aspirational” is indeed relative. I’ve never paid $595 for a dress, not even my wedding dress.
But there is a huge market for dresses at that price point – department stores are full of them! Even regular mall stores are selling shit for like $200 up; I was in Ann Taylor a few days ago (straight up mall store, right?) and tried on a pretty basic dress (like a regular issue linen/cotton dress) before looking at the label…it was $287 before tax. So, I don’t know, I kind of don’t see $595 as exorbitant or extra ordinary for a dress – not quite my bag of tricks, but quite common, I think.
Hi Clare, I agree, which is why I said aspirational is relative. I think it’s too much to pay for a dress but clearly a lot of people do not.
On the flip side, I do think stuff that is too cheap — i.e. “fast fashion” — is problematic. So I’m not advocating for that either. 🙂
Did you purchase the dress, Clare? I paid $79.99 for a Calvin Kline dress (plus size) at Winners that I LOVE LOVE LOVE. And $69.99 for Ralph Lauren Plus that I like really a lot. That’s the most I’ve ever paid, I think, apart from a 3 piece business suit a long time ago. I love wearing dresses much more than trousers, so finding great deals is really important to me.
I’ve found some of the GREATEST things at “Saks Off Fifth”; you get “designer” things at a fraction of the cost. All sizes, too. They are online as well as brick and mortar stores.. 😊
@Shirleygail – nah I didn’t – It was a standard issue summery dress I was looking to wear to a wedding – not quite something I’d spend $300+ on. Had it been something I could wear to work, or wear often as a foundation piece then I probably would have because it looked great.
Her slow morph into Donetella Versace is right on schedule. Stringy yellow/white hair. Botoxed forehead. Weird skin tone color. This is a thing.
I am actually very surprised that someone who so clearly has orthorexia can so easily sun themselves red or inject toxins into their skin. It’s funny how we make those weird concessions in our head, like I love diet coke but I say its ok because I also drink a lot of water. ummm, ok
Goop Label clothes go from a size 2 up to a size 12.
Wow, that big?????
Probably UK sizing? A UK size 12 is a US size 8, iirc.
I’m sure her “size 12” is really a size 8 and she hopes the trauma of not fitting into the clothes will inspire those fatties to diet.
Because her brand is “aspirational”, remember!
It sounds like a humble-brag to me, but maybe my excessive eyerolling impeded my reading comprehension? She’s saying by using the “direct-to-consumer model” she’s benevolently sparing her consumers the typical retail mark-up of 50-60% — It’s practically charitable giving on her part, and now we know her $595 dress is *actually* a $1000 dress, her $1000 coat is _totally_ a $2000 coat, etc.
Exactly.
Yep. She has graduated from marketing 101 with flying colours.
Goop is probably a lot more interesting than acting, where you’re only 1 part of the creative process. I wonder if it’s especially so considering that Goop grew up showbiz.
I don’t know, I don’t think $595 for a dress is outrageous for her target audience – I feel like her target audience are the same women who purchase coach, kate spade, and michael kors handbags – women who want a ‘label’ and to keep up with the joneses, but can’t quite afford or justify the chanel and prada (no shade, by the way, to each their own).
I mean, it doesn’t surprise me that her stuff is selling out – I’m sure some of us have spent $500+ on a red soled shoe, so why not a dress or a coat? Same principle, different face selling it, right?
I once read a Vogue article where the author (most likely the terrible Plum Sykes) gave herself the challenge of staying under $1k per dress for wedding season. So yeah, I agree with you there that for that audience $595 is totally reasonable
Hmm I’d disagree, the brands you mentioned aren’t really considered luxury. Her prices seem more comparable to luxury brands. Like a MK dress would be $200 not $595.
For high end luxury brands like the ones I mentioned (chanel, prada, saint laurent etc) you are looking at thousands for a jumper…tbh I don’t know how much a MK dress costs – I’ve only ever scanned over how much the handbags/shows cost which is to what I was referring.
I mean, even Banana Republic and JCrew will sell you dresses/coats in the many of hundreds, which obviously aren’t ‘luxury’ brands. I suppose high end and luxury are all relative. What I do know, is none of this shit is worth it.
Why do people insist on saying “price point” instead of just “price”?
I think ‘price point’ is used for ‘in and around’ the price discussed, tbh. Like it can range from 10 percent up or 10 percent down, but hovers around the price discussed.
Thanks @dodgy!
It’s insider lexicon and it’s total garbage. Like dodge said, it’s supposed to signify a price range … So why not just say, “price range”?!?!?
Can you tell this is a personal pet-peeve? “Price point” drives me nuts!
Me too! Also: “color story” instead of “colors” or “color palette”.
+100! Along with descriptions like “a red lip” or “a denim pant” etc. So annoying.
‘a shoe’.
She looks beautiful.
Hi Gwyneth!
I agree Nev. I’m not a fan of GP but I think in these photos she looks natural and fresh. But there are 2 people you can never say anything good about in this forum, and Goop is one of them.
In my opinion her skin looks fried and her hair is stringy, nothing special.
My hair is similar length and color, courtesy of L’Oreal at home and Great Clips.
I think spending $595 on a dress is silly and wasteful. But then again, I am a bit of an eccentric and like to shop at second-hand clothing stores! I don’t like to spend a lot of money on clothing or material items…I prefer to squirrel my extra money away for experiences – such as travelling, going to a restaurant or live theatre/a museum/an art gallery. I don’t understand why people feel the need to fill their lives with stuff…but I suppose if we were all the same, this planet would be really boring!
I agree — but of course the women Gwyneth’s $595 dress is marketed to have money for the dress AND the regular travel — to luxury resorts and hotels, no less. We’re talking about a very different demographic than you or I — people who have far more money than I, frankly, can even imagine.
She’s so tone-deaf that it’s ridiculous. I always look forward to her holiday gift guides, which feature items such a $275 toilet paper (not a joke, that was a real thing she was selling one year!).
But is she really? We’re not her target audience. She’s not selling to us plebs, but I think because we’re so used to everyone else going for the ‘just like us’ angle that we expect everyone to.
I suspect a great number of her target audience is compromised of women who are trying to keep up with the Joneses. For every customer who can afford a £1100 coat like it’s toothpaste there are probably two aspirational buyers who are maxing out credit cards to own some Goop. I think that’s who Gwyneth is really appealing to. The wealthy aren’t bothering with Goop. It has no cachet in their circles, right?
One thing no one is aspiring to gain is her hair.
Since when does Gwyneth Paltrow not have cache in the wealthy circles? She has an IMMENSE social circle, not to mention a Hamptons regular in all the ‘right’ places.
She drives me nuts. I just want to shake her & say “if your late dad hadn’t been best buds with Spielberg you would just be another plain pretentious blond girl. Now go away!” I think I need more coffee this AM….
MTE!!
Isn’t the first rule of branding to find an appealing name to brand? “Goop?” Who would want to wear clothing that reminds them of spills, hair gel, and poop?
Lots of people, apparently, since her stuff sells out! I agree that the name “goop” leaves a lot to be desired but …well, clearly nobody on celebitchy is in her target audience because we all think she’s nuts but her site/brand is pretty successful.
Greed, self-absorption, clueless airhead = Gwyneth.
She is so unaware of who she is.
No, she may be telling the truth about the “expensive” aspect. She’s probably used to getting things for free/through connections so whatever she pays for is expensive
Exactly. Of COURSE designer clothes are exorbitantly expensive! Doesn’t mean they’re too expensive for GP. But maybe they’re a little too expensive for some of her audience — the non-Hollywood industry women whose husbands are mere corporate lawyers or bonds traders instead of music producers or movie stars. That’s who her site is targeted at. Women who might be able to afford a $1,000 dress SOMETIMES but can definitely afford a $595 dress ALL the time.
Hahahahahahahaha
Eh….I’d hold the advice on Goop’s recipe for the “secret sauce” to success. Last I recently read, the company is not turning a profit yet. We live in an age where too many online businesses are flashes in the pan and she’s yet to really show the receipts for a consistent stone hard profit. Goop is expanding and her marketing immaculate, but she probably has outside of vc funding to keep a business going ; she has access to those people and financing, but it doesn’t mean it’s a solid business. vs a vanity project I don’t care how “original” Paltrow thinks what she is doing actually is, the truth is that it’s a highly competitive field with a very fickle consumer base, and Goop’s taste as the arbiter of her “aspirational” catalog is increasingly feeling dated: nothing she offers is revolutionary, mind changing or original. I’d love to see where Goop is in 3, 5 or 7 years, but my moneyis on that it doesn’t see 2020.
I think they are turning a profit, but Gwyneth keeps giving herself and her partners ‘loans’ out of the business as a tax dodge.
http://www.celebitchy.com/361751/gwyneth_paltrows_goopcom_is_hundreds_of_thousands_of_dollars_in_debt/
That red dress is terrible, as was that weird dress with the lotus she was wearing the other day. Why is she known for her style? Reading a lot of fashion mags doesn’t make you dress well – she’s living proof. But definitely give her points for the foodie thing – she’s a true blue foodie and really cares about food.
She is a rich idiot.
Who are these women that will spend this kind of money on these things? I need to meet them, I have important questions.
she can sell out everything each capsule and it isn’t enough $$$ to pay her own salary. not to mention the employees that are actually doing the work to design and coordinate the manufacture and import of the goods and the actual running of the goop website.
1000 coats at $1000 is one million $ but doubtful she is receiving goods at no cost and all coordinated and sold for free.
her markup is probably much higher than a luxury brand. like that $1k coat is being manufactured for $20 or less. what a rip off and not even close to passing the savings on to the customer. is she using children in bangladesh? are her materials high quality and sustainably sourced?
the truly good stuff (high quality materials made by people making a good wage) is costly for a reason. goop seems like she would want the cheapest goods at the largest mark-up so she can claim to be a successful entrepreneur.
either she’s making a blue chip salary or her company is profitable -with her math it doesn’t seem likely to include both scenarios.
best bet is she is taking the loss and using it to offset her personal tax bill. and still claiming herself a genius a la Drumpf.
When the hell does she GO AWAY?!?!!
I’m wagering 2019 is when Goop goes tits up and is bought out by some foreign investor
I don’t think the world needs one more label churning out the perfect little black dress or a chambray shirt…..those are literally everywhere.