173_CAN111210_letter.. - California Apparel News

T-Shirts Continued from page 1
out for T-shirts. “T-shirts play a very important role
in Madison’s business. They represent a good chunk
of my business—approximately 20 percent,” she said.
Madison—which sells brands such as Yigal Azrouel,
Missoni and Halston Heritage—stocks T-shirts from
a slew of sources, including Alexander Wang, Minden
Chan, Kain Label and Elizabeth and James.
“T-shirts are a go-to item; they’ll never be obsolete.”
Back to basics, then beyond
For Whitley Kros founders Marissa Ribisi and
Sofia Coloma, culling the line back to the least-expensive
and most-accessible item was the only way
to avoid shuttering the brand. “T-shirts always did
well for us. We enjoyed designing a full line, but right Kain
now is not the time for us to do a full fashion collection.
The market is inundated … and the number of stores that
can afford to make the buys [that a collection] would need has
shrunk,” Ribisi said. Wholesaling for $33 to $40, the T-shirts
are breezy, versatile and priced to sell. “So far the reaction from
retailers has been great,” she said.
Despite her concerns about the economy, Ribisi has hopes
that Whitley Kros’ new incarnation will spur growth for the
company—but not necessarily in the direction of its past life.
“T-shirts are the best way to maximize our brand right now. I
think we’ll stick with the more casual stuff, possibly expand
into men’s T-shirts and kids’ T-shirts, maybe hoodies, before we
consider becoming a full collection again.”
Whitley Kros, which debuted its music-inspired collection
of T-shirts at Directives West’s “First L.A.” fashion show during
Fashion Market, isn’t the only brand using T-shirts as an
incubator for a faltering contemporary business.
Minden Chan, a Los Angeles–based designer who, four seasons
ago, morphed his eponymous contemporary sportswear
collection into a T-shirt collection, said T-shirts were never a
significant part of his business before the recession. “I had one
or two basic T-shirts,” he said. His collection—which sold in
retailers such as Barneys New York, Fred Segal, Steven Allan
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Whitley Kros
and Harvey Nichols—was mostly devoted to tailored wovens,
crisp blazers, silk dresses and luxe outerwear. But when the recession
hit, demand for his designs, which were at the upper
levels of contemporary pricing, dried up. “Fewer stores were
buying the more expensive items—and, at that time, that was
our focus,” Chan said. T-shirts, despite being underrepresented
in his collection, became the focus.
With 10 to 15 styles per season and wholesale prices ranging
from $35 to $65, Chan found that T-shirts opened up his
distribution and helped him forge relationships with new stores.
Now, Chan is making moves to cash in on the success of his
T-shirts.
“The goal is to become a full collection again,” he said.
For Spring 2011, Minden Chan grew to include lightweight
cashmere sweaters and slim blazers, timing their introduction
to coincide with what Chan perceives as a slowly recovering
contemporary market. Fall 2011 will see the addition of more
cashmere layering pieces and novelty blazers. Eventually, Chan
plans to introduce trousers and dresses and phase out some of
his focus on T-shirts. “I am already seeing retailers buying the
more expensive things. The cashmere has been a bright spot
for us, and that is quite encouraging,” he said. Madison, which
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carries Minden Chan, placed a bigger order for the
brand’s sweaters than for its T-shirts for Spring, Goldstein
confirmed.
The brand that T-shirts built
Like James Perse and Ella Moss before them,
Los Angeles–based Kain Label is using T-shirts as a
launching pad for its expansion into a full contemporary
collection.
The brand, co-founded by sisters Melanie and
Amanda Kain in 2008 as a four-piece T-shirt collection,
has been steadily growing its offerings and distribution.
Spring 2011 marks Kain Label’s latest and
greatest strides into the realm of a full lifestyle brand.
The season features a deeper selection of matte jersey
dresses, open-weave knits, and the introduction of
chiffon and linen terry fabrications for a variety of silhouettes,
Melanie Kain said. “2011 is a big turning point
for us. For Fall 2010 we added cashmere and merino wool and
got a great response. We’re gaining confidence.”
The brand’s dramatic growth was made possible by the
strength of its T-shirt business. “They’re our workhorses,” Kain
said. Sold online at Net-a-porter.com and Shopbop.com as
well as specialty retailers and majors nationwide, Kain Label
has “truly defied the [down] economy,” Kain said. “It turns out
that T-shirts have been the Holy Grail,” she joked, referring
to T-shirts helping a company thrive during a recession. “We
didn’t know what we had when we started.”
Quality control for each added category is a big focus for
the brand, which produces domestically. The biggest challenge,
however, has been pacing the brand’s growth with the goal of
creating long-term success, Kain said. “We stayed small for a
really long time. It was a tough balance to grow without blowing
out our distribution and avoid being trendy or a one-hit wonder.”
Now with retailers readily buying new and pricier categories
from Kain Label, it appears that diligence is paying off—and,
possibly, just in time. Madison’s Goldstein said she has begun
to notice a subtle shift away from T-shirts. “Women are beginning
to look for something a little more special than a T-shirt,”
she said. ●
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