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"Eva Mendes has inked a deal with New York &amp;amp; Co to launch a clothing and accessories subbrand called Eva by Eva Mendes, WWD is reporting.\r\nWhile the collaboration took us by surprise it&amp;#x2019;s apparently been a longtime coming.\r\nGreg Scott, chief executive officer of New York &amp;amp; Co, told the  trade, &amp;#x201C;When we asked our customers to name the celebrity they aspired  to be, [Eva&amp;#x2019;s] name came up again and again. Based on that, we went out  and pursued her. It was a very long courtship.&amp;#x201D;\r\nWe&amp;#x2019;re sure customers&amp;#x2019; desire to be like Mendes has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she&amp;#x2019;s dating Ryan Gosling and everything to do with her style but, anyway&amp;#x2026;\r\n\r\nThe starlet said it took 18 months to agree to the deal. &amp;#x201C;I love when  things take time to develop. It wasn&amp;#x2019;t some kind of rash decision.&amp;#x201D;\r\nThe new line, which will consist mostly of dresses and accessories,  is a play on the lucrative day-to-dinner, cocktail and evening  categories from New York &amp;amp; Co, which is mainly known for workwear  staples. Mendes,  who has worn the likes of Christian Dior Couture, Lanvin, Prada, and  more, will be bringing some serious red carpet expertise to the table.\r\n&amp;#x201C;In this day and age where everybody has a stylist, I appreciate the  kind of woman who steps out of the box,&amp;#x201D; she said of her own style and  what she hopes to accomplish with the line. &amp;#x201C;I love feeling like an  individual. I want to share all these little tips with women.&amp;#x201D;\r\nPHOTOS: See who made Fashionista&amp;apos;s most stylish ladies of 2012!\r\nMendes will approve all styles before they go into production, and  says she already has &amp;#x201C;ton of ideas, but it&amp;#x2019;s a bit early to discuss  them.&amp;#x201D;\r\n&amp;#x201C;[The project] is taking up all my time, but in the best way possible,&amp;#x201D; she said. &amp;#x201C;Everything I see is a possible design.&amp;#x201D;\r\nEva by Eva Mendes will be delivered four times a year and  merchandised in shops-in-shop in New York &amp;amp; Co. stores, and will  cost 10 to 15 percent higher for special fabrics&amp;#x2013;which means it&amp;#x2019;ll be  pricier than the rest of the retailer&amp;#x2019;s offerings but still plenty  affordable.\r\nMendes has also signed on to be an ambassador for the brand,  appearing in ads, and going to events for the brand where she&amp;#x2019;ll  interact with customers.\r\nAccording to Scott, New York &amp;amp; Co. will leverage &amp;#x201C;everything that&amp;#x2019;s going on in her life.&amp;#x201D;\r\nSo now the question is: Does that mean we can expect to see Gosling at a New York &amp;amp; Co. soon?\r\n&amp;#xA0;\r\nMore from Fashionista:\r\nTop 10 Fashion Schools in the U.S.: The Fashionista Ranking\r\nThe Most Influential Personal Style Bloggers Right Now\r\n10 Best YouTube Hair Tutorials\r\nCan You Trust the Integrity of Personal Style Blogs?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-style/news/eva-mendes-signs-deal-to-launch-own-clothing-line-2013132>