Ulla Johnson, the New York-based womenswear brand, has signed a global license agreement for footwear with HIM Co SpA, a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of premium fashion and leather goods.
HIM Co will produce and distribute Ulla Johnson footwear, starting with pre-spring 2024 for an initial term of three years. Johnson first introduced footwear in 2013.
Ulla Johnson, founder and chief creative officer, said, “My brand is not just about the clothes themselves but about the story, the process, the travel, the lifestyle, the emotional weight of objects crafted by hand and with love. The creation of future heirlooms, of pieces whose beauty and meaning transcends time and place has always been a core value, so I am happy to have found a like-minded partner in HIM Co who have an incredible commitment to design, craft and innovation. There are many points of connectedness between our work, and we are looking forward for all we have next for this growing category.”
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HIM Co offers state-of-the-art production, an industrial network and textile and material sourcing. Its footwear production is based in Riviera del Brenta, Venice.
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Details of the footwear line and prices weren’t available yet.
Donata Minelli Yirmiyahu, chief executive officer of Ulla Johnson, said she was very excited to have HIM Co as its first licensing partner. “Their incredibly rich history within the luxury footwear space and their appreciation and respect of a brand’s DNA when developing a collection makes them a perfect partner. From their executive team to the pattern-makers and creators, everyone has shown an incredibly spirited and collaborative nature. They also possess strength in their global distribution, complimentary to that of our ready-to-wear business, and it has all been synergetic since the start.”
“We will put at her disposal our best expertise and know-how — both in the manufacturing and in the distribution — to ensure Ulla Johnson’s footwear collection receives the success it deserves,” Fabio Ducci and Antonello Orunesu, HIM Co owners, said in a statement.
In addition to ready-to-wear and footwear, Johnson’s line encompasses Made in Italy handbags, small leather goods, premium denim handcrafted in Los Angeles, swim and jewelry.
Johnson’s company, founded in 1999, has more than 500 points of distribution worldwide. The brand is sold to such retailers as Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Net-a-porter, Matchesfashion, Le Bon Marché, Mytheresa, Boon the Shop and Browns Fashion. In addition to its e-commerce site, Johnson has stand-alone stores in New York’s NoHo and Amagansett in the Hamptons, and will open a freestanding store in Los Angeles in June.
HIM Co produces and distributes worldwide the footwear collections of JW Anderson, Rochas, Proenza Schouler, See by Chloe, Maria Luca, Victoria Beckham and Wales Bonner. The company also produces Jacquemus, Chloé, Lanvin, Jil Sander, among other lines.
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