Why do famous people get clothing lines?

Can't really pinpoint what brought up this topic — probably the rerun of "Chelsea Lately" where the one girl from "The Hills" was trying to plug Lauren's (or Audrina's?) clothing line. Chelsea informed her the line had been discontinued, which in Spanish translates to "canceled."

That got me to thinking — celebrities have been pasting their names on marginally trendy fabrics that wind up in the dollar racks at Marshall's for some time now. But why does this continue to happen? And why do people who don't really know how to dress themselves continue to get clothing lines?

Cases in point: Andre 3000 and Kanye West. Both those guys have unique styles that suit them, but if you're a parent, do you really want your kid dressing like them?

Do you really want your kid dressing like a circa 1905 white racist gentleman in knickers and a newboy hat like Mr. 3-Stacks?

Do you really want your kid sporting a Full Force-style afro-mullet and neon-colored sports blazers like 'Yeezy?

And if you are that "cool" parent who is willing to buy your kids these designer threads, are you willing to be the parent of that kid who continually gets his butt kicked at school for dressing weird?

Just a thought.