The 17-year-old star, best known for her leading role on The Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” is getting into some new territory with the fall 2010 launch of her first fashion brand, called Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez.

“Growing up in Texas, I was sort of close-minded and kind of a tomboy, but as I’ve traveled, I found such a love of clothes,” Gomez said while primping for a day of filming on the set of “Wizards of Waverly Place.” “It’s really always been a dream of mine to have a line.”

So with the help of a group of industry experts, Gomez teamed up to create her brand which focuses on “pretty, feminine and bohemian” clothing — a line, she said, that mirrors her own style. To get her started, her agent at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles set Gomez up with Tony Melillo, former Generra designer and designer of his own namesake men’s wear brand, and Sandra Campos, who has spent about 20 years on the business end of the industry at brands such as Nautica and Polo Ralph Lauren. Melillo and Campos had just started their own licensing and brand building firm to develop and market global lifestyle labels specifically for celebrities. That company, called Cynosure Holdings, was already speaking with CAA clients when they came across Gomez. … Read more »