Clothed In Controversy

After putting his Virgin brand name on everything from jumbo jets to rock music to cola cans, British tycoon Richard Branson is about to see how well it fits on a new line of autumn-winter sportswear. The Virgin Clothing line will debut today at London’s fabled Selfridge’s department store, where shoppers were trying to get an advance peek at the collection on Wednesday. But Branson may be off to a bumpy start. Some critics say the sportswear is too pricey for the company’s usual young and hip target market. The Virgin clothes are “altogether better than we had anticipated - and more expensive, and that may be a problem,” said one fashion editor who called the Virgin brand clothing “young, fun and frivolous.”