Designer, legend, and all-around respected man-in-black, Karl Lagerfeld, is preparing his second clothing coming to the shores of North America with a new partner in tow.
After experiencing a setback with his New York-based Karl Lagerfeld contemporary label in fall 2006, it appears that the women’s apparel and men’s outerwear line is returning to the U.S. The line recently announced its joint venture partnership with G-III Apparel Group Ltd., and plan to introduce a new range for spring 2016.
“We’re very confident there will be a strong foothold from the start,” Pier Paolo Righi, president and chief executive officer of Karl Lagerfeld Group BV, told to WWD. “It can potentially become the biggest geography for us very soon.” The label will initially focus on women’s apparel, handbags, plus men’s outwear in an attempt to position itself in the burgeoning “affordable luxury” category that others like Victoria Beckham and Balmain are looking to join.
A New York flagship store is slated to open as early as next year with potentially several other flagship stores sprouting up across the country, according to Righi. “We believe there’s an opportunity for another power brand today, and I can’t think of a better vehicle to fill that void than Karl Lagerfeld,” Morris Goldfarb, chairman, president and CEO of G-III said. The Canadian design-and-manufacturing company recently helped push Calvin Klein past $1 billion in wholesale, and looks to try the same thing with Karl Lagerfeld.
G-III and its partners plan to capitalize on the German designer’s fame, buoyed by his work for Chanel and Fendi over the past three decades, and tap into public curiosity about his signature label. “I don’t think there’s any preconceived notion of what the style should be,” Goldfarb said, explaining that the plan is to “translate his iconic DNA into product that is commercially viable in the United States.” While the group works out the label’s classifications, complete assortments are looking to be unveiled to retailers sometime this November, as G-III is targeting between 250 and 350 doors for the upcoming fall 2016 season.
The relaunched apparel will differ from what’s sold in Europe, as the Karl Lagerfeld brand will be targeted to a broader audience, with a wide range of products, and sold with multiple exposures in department stores. Footwear is also on the horizon for the Karl Lagerfeld brand, as the joint venture agreement allows additional category licenses over time to G-III or other parties. At the present moment, Lagerfeld’s clothing lines are primarily available to American consumers through Net-a-porter. Under the joint venture agreement, G-III acquired a 49 percent interest in the Karl Lagerfeld brand and becomes the first licensee to cover all consumer products and apparel in the U.S. and Canada.
This deal does not include those items held by the Karl Lagerfeld Group (eyewear, fragrance, watches, jewelry, and hospitality services), but does grant G-III an exclusive, royalty-free license to use the trademarks in Mexico for the same products. G-III, a New York-based outerwear and sportswear firm, also does business under a series of licensed names, including Kenneth Cole, Cole Haan, Guess, Jessica Simpson, Vince Camuto, Ivanka Trump, Levi’s and Dockers.
With all these changes and unveilings, Lagerfeld will also expand his online presence to 96 countries thanks to a new six-year partnership with Yoox Group which will be overseeing the launch of Karl.com in Europe, the U.S. and Japan.
On the following pages, we will take a look at the constant, yet subtle changes in Karl Lagerfeld’s style from over the years.
[via WWD]
The post You’ll Soon Be Able To Buy Karl Lagerfeld Designs For Less appeared first on StyleBlazer.
