KEY POINTS:
LONDON - Madonna and Lily Allen have gone mainstream.
Pete Doherty and Matt Helders, the drummer with the Arctic Monkeys, have gone, as you might expect, a little more independent.
All, however, have one thing in common.
They have joined the increasing trend for pop stars to cut
out the middleman, and design their own fashion range.
Madonna's M collection of clothes and accessories for the high street chain H&M went on sale to a less than impressed global public last Thursday.
Lily Allen, the 21-year-old singer and internet phenomenon, has run up a few dresses and shoes for H&M's high street rivals New Look, which will be on sale in May.
And Pete Doherty, Britain's favourite bad boy and fiance of the country's favourite bad girl, the model Kate Moss, has come up with a few drug-inspired creations for the trendy Manchester label Gio-Goi's spring/summer collection.
But while Madonna, Allen and even, in some quarters, Pete Doherty, can be said to be style icons, the Arctic Monkeys would probably blanche at such a description.
The Sheffield-four piece have made a point of rebuffing the usual excesses of the music industry, even to the extent of a record deal in the early days of their career, and are happy to take to the stage in jeans and T-shirts.
So it is no surprise that rather than plumping to design for a high-street retailer or fashionable label, Helders has gone for a small Cambridge-based collective that probably makes less in a year than H&M on a good Saturday afternoon.
The label, called Supremebeing, was started ten years ago by a group of friends in Cambridge with little or no fashion training.
They were aspiring artists and printers who knocked up three T-shirts and sold them around the city and to local shops.
Ten years later, with no outside support apart from a loan guaranteed on one of their dad's paid-off house, they have now produce jeans, T-shirts, jackets and hoodies and employ 12 people.
It's a do it yourself story that chimes with rise of the Arctic Monkeys, whose success grew out of the band giving away home-made demo albums after gigs.
Word of mouth via the internet saw the Arctics sell-out the Astoria before they had a record deal and make their album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, the fastest selling debut of all time in 2006.
Helders came on board because his dad has been helping Supremebeing "for a few years", according to one of the label's founders, David Newman.
"His dad sent us an email saying that Matt really liked our stuff," he continued.
"So I emailed back asking if he'd be interested in working with us. He came down and spent a night going through our range. He picked out stuff he liked, would suggest alterations, colours etc. It was like a remix."
All this happened four months ago and the collection, complete with a one pound donation for each item to a the Arthur Rank hospice plus a free remix of an Arctic Monkey's track with each purchase, goes on sale in May.
"We're unstyle conscious really," Mr Newman, 30, adds.
"We produce what we like and if other people like it then we're lucky. We're skate influenced, graphic influenced and music influenced."
Helders was on a plane to Japan yesterday and unable to comment.
But according to Mr Newman: "Whatever happens we're going to have him do more stuff. He's a really nice guy and he's got a good eye for it. He's obviously a talented kid."
Matt Helders limited edition collection will be available online from unify-shop.com or Selfridges from May.
- INDEPENDENT
