Nowadays it's not enough to be an actor or a musician or even a reality star. You have to be a
brand and an entrepreneur — that's the modern day concept of celebrity. Unfortunately, for every Jay-Z there are a dozen other stars who try and fail to expand into other markets.
Take Rob Kardashian — just a guy trying to cash in on his (mostly his sisters') fame with a line of fancy socks for fancy men. The only problem is there aren't enough fancy men who want fancy socks designed by the sixth lead on an E! show.
"Rob’s socks sold around the Christmas holiday, but since then no one has been really buying them," said a Neiman Marcus store rep. "We actually had to ship a bunch out to other stores because they weren’t moving at all. To be honest, a lot of customers bought them more as a gag gift.”
Don't worry Rob, you're not alone. There have been plenty of other famous people with failed business ventures. Since misery loves company, we've roundup up some of our favorite extinct celeb endeavors.
The Kardashian Girls
Fail: The Kardashian Kard
Designed to be a cool new pre-paid credit card with exorbitantly high fees aimed a impressionable young teenagers, the Kardashian Kard venture was quickly pulled shortly after launch. See, Rob, there are other bad business moves right under your own roof.
Natalie PortmanFail: Vegan Shoes
In 2008, Natalie Portman teamed up with New York retailer Te Casan to launch a vegan-friendly footwear line. The shoes cost around $200 a pair even though they didn't even come with any fur, leather, or other animal byproducts. When the economy tanked, people weren't really in the market for $200 granola shoes and Te Casan tanked.
Kanye WestFail: Pastelle
If you follow Kanye West even just a little bit, then you probably know he's really into fashion, and with an ego like Kanye's, of course he wanted to launch his own line. That line was Pastelle, and it never made it to the market. After images from the Pastelle look book leaked online, Kanye mysteriously closed up shop and decided the clothes would never see the real world. Maybe he knew a fail before it blew up in his face and backed out before it could.
Britney SpearsFail: Nyla
As you'll see, the restaurant industry is where celebrities go to lose money. Back in 2002, Britney Spears decided she wanted to open an eatery that was a tribute to her favorite places, New York and Louisiana. Nyla was born. After brutal reviews, declining revenue, and various health code violations, Spears pulled out of the venture altogether — just six months after the restaurant opened.
Jennifer LopezFail: Madre's
Yet another restaurant devoted to a celebrity's roots. Madre's was JLo's Latin eatery designed to emulate her mother's cooking in the form of fine dining. Protests from PETA and dwindling interest from diners put a bad spin on Madre's, but at six years, it did last longer than most celeb restaurants.
Heidi MontagFail: Heidiwood Clothing
Before she became a walking PSA against plastic surgery, Heidi Montag was an aspiring fashion mogul. Sadly, she didn't come close to mogul status when she tried to start a line with Anchor Blue stores called Heidiwood. Sales of Heidiwood clothing were so poor that Anchor Blue opted out of the contract as soon as they possibly could.
Hulk HoganFail: Pastamania!
Despite the million dollar name, Hulk Hogan's Pastamania! restaurant in the Mall of America was not a success. Who knew people didn't want to eat dishes called "Hulk-a-Roos" and "Hulk-Us?" Even with the massive promotional support from the WWF at the time, Pastamania closed its doors after less than a year.
Kim BasingerFail: Braselton, Georgia
Forget restaurants and clothing lines — Kim Basinger bought an entire town! In the late '80s, Basinger dropped $20 million on the town of Braselton in her home state of Georgia, hoping to turn the small city into a tourist hotspot a la Sundance, Utah. Have you heard of Braselton, Georgia? No? Then you can probably conclude Basinger failed to pull it off. She sold the town for $1 million four years later.
Eva LongoriaFail: Beso Restaurant and Nightclub
Picking up where JLo left off, Eva Longoria managed to open a successful Hollywood-based Latin restaurant. Then she got greedy and opened a Las Vegas location, complete with a nightclub. The results were not the same. According to the New York Daily News, the nightclub in Vegas was losing close to $100,000 a month. With numbers like that, it's no wonder why the establishment filed for bankruptcy shortly after opening.
50 CentFail: Magic Stick Condoms
Following his "Candy Shop" hit, 50 Cent was approached by Lifestyles brand condoms to partner up for a new line of prophylactics which got their title from a lyric in the song. The "Magic Stick" condoms were supposed to appeal to a younger, urban demographic, but the line was never released because 50 and Lifestyles couldn't come to an agreement on the design of the safe sex facilitators. 50 wanted to guarantee a boost in your sexual performance, and that was just something the rubber maker couldn't do.
