Kellwood Company and Brown Shoe Company have signed a licensing agreement to produce women’s, junior’s and girl’s apparel under the Sam Edelman brand.
The contemporary apparel collection will consist of distinctive, fashion-forward tops, sweaters, bottoms, dresses and jackets with a similar design aesthetic to Sam Edelman footwear. Distribution will be targeted to leading department and specialty stores where Sam Edelman shoes are sold, as well as Sam Edelman retail stores and Sam Edelman.com. The line will be introduced to wholesale partners in February, 2014 and will launch to consumers in the fall of 2014. The Sam Edelman apparel business will report to Lynn Shanahan, Chief Executive Officer of Kellwood Brands.
“We are delighted to work with Sam and his team to continue building Sam Edelman into a global lifestyle brand,” said Jill Granoff, Chief Executive Officer of Kellwood Company and Vince. “This partnership supports Kellwood’s strategy of investing in sizable, well known, high growth potential brands in the contemporary and junior’s space.”
Launched in 2004, Sam Edelman’s eponymous brand is sold in fine department stores and specialty stores around the globe. Sam and his wife Libby have a 30-year history of identifying key styles and developing them into fashion staples. Sam Edelman has twice been named the Footwear News Brand of the Year and most recently received the coveted Nordstrom Partner in Excellence Award. Sam Edelman has seen exponential growth over the past two years not only in its shoe business, but also through license arrangements for outerwear and jewelry. He has also ventured into retail with a flagship store in Soho, NY and a boutique in East Hampton, NY with plans for further expansion.
“Apparel is the cornerstone of our expanding lifestyle presentation. The goal has always been to dress the ‘Sam Girl’ head to toe in my designs, and now it’s a reality,” said Sam Edelman, Founder of Edelman Shoe and Division President for the Sam Edelman Division of Brown Shoe Company. “Adding apparel closes the gap in making Sam Edelman a complete lifestyle brand.”
Lynn Shanahan added, “We see an incredible opportunity to build the Sam Edelman apparel business for the woman who knows and loves Sam Edelman shoes. We will utilize Kellwood’s core strengths and expertise to produce and distribute Sam Edelman apparel worldwide.”
“Moving into apparel builds on Sam’s highly-successful footwear business,” said Diane Sullivan, President and CEO of Brown Shoe Company. “We already have a strong partnership with Kellwood for Vince women’s footwear and we look forward to working with Kellwood to grow Sam Edelman into a true lifestyle brand.”
