Ellen DeGeneres Takes On A New Role As Designer With Lifestyle And Clothing Collection: 'E.D.'

Comedian and daytime TV talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, recently went on a trip to Europe with wife, Portia de Rossi. According to Vogue, DeGeneres has been putting the finishing touches on her new lifestyle-and-clothing collection, entitled, E.D., which she developed with investor J. Christopher Burch.

"We're both very, very competitive," says Ellen of her partnership with Burch, "and we want to break every rule."

E.D., incidentally, is pronounced "Ed," Portia's nickname for Ellen, who playfully claims that it stands for "effortless design," one of her creative team's mantras, along with "polished casual" and "whimsical humor."

All these concepts are channeled into the collections that will start with a capsule holiday line, then build up to a portfolio that includes everything from cheerful ceramic plates to playful stationery to rugs, bedding, garden tools, and candles. There will be accessibly priced men's and women's clothing that reflects Ellen's enduringly classic, collegiate style and also dresses influenced by Portia's understated, feminine sensibility. All will be sold through the E.D. Web site (launching in spring 2015), retail partners (still to be named), and pop-up shops.

Ellen envisions nothing less than global brand domination, to reposition herself as the design icon of elevated-lifestyle taste. "When I someday decide to stop doing the show," she said, "my entire focus is going to be design."

Ellen's trip to Paris is intended to feed the aesthetic of her line, still taking shape back in E.D.'s light-flooded Manhattan studios. Her ever-expanding, Williamsburg-cool team, which now includes five apparel designers, five homeware designers, and two textile designers, is already channeling Ellen's mantras and style into everything from shrunken boyish blazers to fragrance.

"I did the Pier 1 thing when I had no money, and I know how to live that life," Ellen told Vogue. "I still understand that everyone should be able to have great design in their home. So let me do it in a more accessible way." Ellen has always had an instinct for design. "When I think about decorating that's when I start to meditate."

DeGeneres plans on bringing her signature style to people's homes with the debut of "E.D. On Air," a new seasonal collection created especially for QVC. Tune in to QVC on October 24 at 8 p.m. EST, when Ellen will reveal the full "E.D. On Air" collection and visit qvc.com to shop select items now.