Badgley Mischka Seeks Broader Image

By Rosemary Feitelberg

NEW YORK — Badgley Mischka, a designer label that conjures up images of Hollywood actresses in sparkly evening gowns on the red carpet, wants guests at its Feb. 8 runway show to pan back and see the big picture.That view includes Platinum eveningwear, sportswear, accessories and, of course, the designer collection — all of which will be shown in a medley of sorts on the runway. This new strategy makes sense, considering how unabashed Badgley Mischka's parent, the Iconix Brand Group, has been about licensing and marketing. Designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka now have 16 licenses in their portfolio, and their newest additions, belts, costume jewelry and intimate apparel, will be seen on the catwalk. Swimwear, a license that was signed with A.H. Schreiber Co. last week, will not hit the runway this time

Badgley Mischka is well known for its great evening gowns and adding jewelery to the line will help and enhance the already gorgeous gowns. Licensing out the Badgley Mischka name to A.H. Schreiber Co is a great way for the company to make a lot more money. Swimsuits are easily affordable to many people. There are many people that would love to wear Badgley Mischka, but cannot afford it. There are, however, some drawbacks to licensing out the name. Badgley Mischka need to make sure the swimsuits maintain elegance and sophistication, the name does not want to be spoiled by cheap looking swimwear.

Suzanne Reilly

Hawk Signs Exclusive Deal With Kohl's

By EMILY FREDRIX
MILWAUKEE -- Skateboard icon Tony Hawk has signed an exclusive deal with Kohl's Corp. to sell footwear under his brand through the mid-level retailer.

Hawk, known for his successful lines of video games and clothing as much as his skating, will begin selling his shoes at Kohl's 800-some stores and its Web site in February, the company was set to announce Thursday. The fashion and skate shoes will be targeted to young men and boys.

Kohl's, which also sells the popular Vans brand skating shoes, plans to price the Hawk line at about $40 per pair.

Hawk provided inspiration for the shoes, but Kohl's produced the actual design for the brown, black, white and patterned footwear, said Kevin Mansell, president of Kohl's, based in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls. Many of the shoes feature the bird of prey also found on Hawk's shirts.

Hawk, 38, said skating is now known as much for its fashion as for the sport itself. Sometimes he can hardly believe how the sport, considered alternative when he took it up as a child, has become a cultural phenomenon, he said.

Kohl's started carrying the Tony Hawk Clothing line of tops and bottoms last year. The line for young men and boys has done well, especially during back-to-school shopping in the fall, said Mansell. Kohl's plans to expand its offerings of the clothing line, and shoes are a natural extension, he said.

I think Tony Hawks new shoe line at Kolhs is going to be a big success. Kohls already has customers who buy his clothing line at there stores. I think its a good idea for Kohls to have these shoes in there store because their customers will start a brand loyalty with them. This is also good for Tony Hawk because he has already had a great success with his clothing line.

by Melissa D'Elia

Brand Expansion at Nicole Miller-Assignment #2

By Sophia Chabbott
"Nicole Miller company may be 25 years old, but its loyal consumers are just getting a taste of what it has to offer as a lifestyle brand. In late 2005, chief executive officer Bud Konheim announced the firm's all-out accessories initiative, signing licenses for handbags, footwear, belts and jewelry, as well as other related categories in a bid to boost the brand's revenue by 25 percent. In the past year, the firm has been ironing out the kinks, such as changing its fashion jewelry licensee from Maurice Max to Gigi Accessories, and the accessories seeds sown by Konheim and the Miller team are set to bloom this fall on shelves at Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and other retailers.Categories now include women's shoes produced by Camuto Group, eyewear by Signature, belts with Roma Industries and handbags by NM Designs. Miller also licenses men's shirting and ties with A.W. Chang Corp.; umbrellas, pet products, baby and cosmetic bags with Essex; women's golf accessories with Glove It, and several others for a total of 34 licenses. Included in that queue are 10 licensing agreements to produce home goods for Bed Bath & Beyond, which Liza Saunders, licensing manager at Nicole Miller, said had been a very lucrative niche for the fashion firm.This year also marks the introduction of Nicole Miller fine jewelry. Produced by World Trade Jewelers, based in New York, the line includes gold pendants in Celtic motifs and elaborate crosses encrusted with pavé diamonds. As with all the accessories categories, Miller herself had a huge amount of input in the designs."

Alot of design companies will go this route by getting different companies to produce acessories and other items because it is cheaper for the design company. The licensing company takes on the all the costs of start up and production while the design company just makes royalties, they get the better deal. The only thing that Nicole Miller has to worry about is making sure the acessories match her line and her lifestyle projection. It seems Nicole Miller is ready to have a lifestyle business out there by all the deals she made in 2005 which will be finally ready this season. I think this venture will be successful since there is a Nicole Miller following and she is making sure everything is up to par.

Cristina Gadaleta