Although Kellwood Co. is trading up in many categories, it has decided to take David Dart a step down.
The $1.9 billion vendor is repositioning the knitwear label to better from bridge this fall to appeal to a wider consumer base.
“In bridge, you couldn’t get the economy of scale or reach this large of an audience of consumers,” said Paul A. Robb, chief executive officer of Kellwood’s Lifestyle Design Group, which also includes O Oscar and Sag Harbor. “It can be considerably bigger than it had been.”
Robb said he hopes the line will be carried in about 300 doors at better and specialty stores, but he declined to project volume. Acquired by Kellwood in 1994, David Dart at one point was a $70 million business, but Kellwood would not comment on the brand’s volume currently, though industry sources place today’s figure at only a fraction of that.
The line of knit dresses, pants, tunics and cardigans in rich plums and greens is at the opening point of the better price range. Suggested retail prices are $59 to $149, according to the company.
The repositioned line has a new team. At Kellwood since August, David Dart design director Suzanne Galat came from Saks Fifth Avenue’s private label division, where she was senior designer for Real Clothes. Announcements about a new leadership team for the brand should come this spring, according to Robb.
The line’s misses’ fit is new and the price point is lower, but the use of prints and knit fabrics remains true to the David Dart heritage. Proprietary fabric development will be another key part of the David Dart formula. Robb said he wants to position the brand as “a whole collection of knit dressing, which doesn’t exist now in the better department.”
“It looks very designer-ish compared with what is on better floors,” Robb said. “When you can bring that level of design to better, where people are looking for aspirational pieces, I think you have a good chance of succeeding. A lot of people who are bridge customers are walking the better floor now too.”
Kellwood is in licensing talks for David Dart accessories and plans to take David Dart into plus sizes for spring.
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By June, Kellwood plans to reveal a “well-known person” who will be affiliated with the brand, along the lines of Sag Harbor’s use of Christie Brinkley. The company will also invest in a multimedia marketing campaign, though it declined to disclose spending.