For more than a decade, Hollywood stars have competed to dominate the premium spirits market, from George Clooney to Dwayne Johnson. That same entrepreneurial impulse now seems to have shifted into more intimate territory: lingerie and underpants. Justin Bieber and Sydney Sweeney are the latest stars to propose that our intimacy comes with their brand. Behind this, a change in the income diversification strategies of celebrities, where art is no longer the main objective.
Justin. Last Sunday, Justin Bieber took the stage at the Grammy Awards to perform a minimalist version of his ‘Yukon’ dressed only in a guitar and some eye-catching baggy boxers. It was not just any artistic statement: the Canadian singer was promoting his Skylrk accessories line to millions of viewers, launching in 2024 with a minimalist selection of socks, sandals, sunglasses and boxers. The briefs sold out within hours of the Grammys performance.
Sydney. Just a week earlier, Sydney Sweeney had announced the launch of Syrn (pronounced “siren”), her own lingerie brand, through an act of calculated civil disobedience: hanging bras on the iconic Hollywood sign. The technically illegal advertising strategy generated exactly the media coverage the actress was looking for. Their proposal also points to a specific niche: bodies traditionally neglected by the industry. Her first collection, Seductress, offers underwear in 44 sizes (from 30B to 42DDD) with prices under $100.
The precedent of tequila. Before the celebrity craze for underwear, there was another one that was even more graduation. George Clooney and his friend Rande Gerber decided to create their own tequila for private consumption. For two years they worked with a master distiller in Jalisco perfecting the formula, and they called it Casamigos. It soon went on the market and they produced more than a thousand bottles per year. Four years later, Diageo acquired the company for $700 million.
The impact was immediate. Dwayne Johnson launched Teremana in 2020. Kendall Jenner introduced 818 Tequila that same year. Michael Jordan and a group of NBA team owners founded Cincoro in 2019. The list is multiplied with other celebrities and drinkers: Sean “Diddy” Combs with DeLeón, Nick Jonas with Villa One, Rita Ora with Próspero, and even the band AC/DC with Thunderstruck. But as experts point out, the business imposes a change: Generation Z shows less inclination towards alcohol consumption compared to previous generations, suggesting that the tequila boom celebrity could have reached its peak.
The new boom: underwear. Now that the tequila market shows signs of exhaustion, underwear is emerging as the new expansion territory for famous entrepreneurs. Rihanna started the path in 2018 with Savage X Fenty, a lingerie line that broke with traditional industry standards by offering up to 44 sizes and prioritizing racial diversity in its visual proposal. A very profitable strategy: in 2021, the brand reached a valuation of one billion dollars after raising 115 million in a financing round.
Kim Kardashian was another: she created Skims in 2019 as an extension of her growing media empire, and she was not averse to controversy. In October 2024, she launched micro-thongs with synthetic pubic hair available in different colors and textures. Names more linked to fashion like Heidi Klum already have experience: she has had a luxury lingerie line since 2015, and the burlesque artist Dita Von Teese since 2012.
Why underwear? Easy: the global underwear sector moved 187.61 billion dollars in 2025 and is projected to reach 314.442 million by 2035, with an annual growth rate of 5.3%. It is a well-rounded business that leads famous men and women to become aspirational models even in their most intimate aspects. The photos of Sweeney posing in her underwear look like something out of a ‘Playboy’ shoot. And now her fans can look like her.
Less art. What many of these artists do agree on is that their creative production slows down when they discover that these businesses are more profitable. Rihanna hasn’t released an album since 2016. Ryan Reynolds invests in football clubs, Formula 1 teams and gin brands and only shoots movies occasionally. George Clooney is practically retired. Some analysts have already described it as a sign of modern fame: selling before creating. For some, at the moment, it is working very well.
In WorldOfSoftware | When they want to sell us smart underwear, the world of technology has a problem.
