NEW YORK — Marc Ecko Enterprises is really getting into juniors. The $1.5 billion firm, which owns and operates several (primarily men’s) apparel brands, including Ecko Unltd., Zoo York, G-Unit and Avirex, always seems to have something in the works. After all, in addition to the apparel brands, there are Complex magazine and the video game segment of the business — all housed in the company’s 275,000-square-foot office space at 40 West 23rd Street here.
But Marc Ecko is outgrowing the space as each brand under the umbrella requires more. Construction is under way on rapper 50 Cent’s office, which will include a gym and recording studio; EckoRed, the brand’s junior business, has been revamped and taken in-house, and Avirex, the 30-year-old men’s brand, is extending its mix to include junior sportswear for fall.
EckoRed, licensed to Paul Davril Inc. since September 2004, has been brought in-house and revamped for back-to-school selling. The line’s new direction is less logo-driven and much more contemporary in design.
“This is where we’ve always wanted to be with the junior line,” said Emily Holton, director of merchandising for all Ecko-branded apparel. “After a lot of research, we know that this is what the line should be — more contemporary, for a college-age girl. The market has shifted, and we found that our customer is more mature; the customer we used to have just doesn’t exist anymore.”
So instead of logo T-shirts and tracksuits, the new EckoRed line consists of feminine graphic-printed hoodies, satin/leather/suede miniskirts, cotton jersey dresses and tank tops for easy layering. Holton said the line also had been redesigned for a more contemporary fit, with body-hugging hoodies and flattering, sexy sweats. The details are more feminine — gold bow zipper pulls and puff-sleeve hoodies, satin detail on sweatpants and jewelry graphic-printed tank tops.
“The junior girl is really looking for value, and we believe that this line is giving her that,” said Pat Anderson Nash, president of EckoRed apparel and accessories. “We believe that this is a line that she will pay full price for. She’s not going to want to wait for a sale.”
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Nash said that because of this revamp, retailers had been more interested in what the brand would offer for fall. The new EckoRed, which is sold in major department and specialty stores, is expected to be in 400 to 500 doors for fall, Nash said. The company has lowered its price points for fall by about 30 percent; items now wholesale between $8 and $32.
Nash said she expected the relaunch to do wonders for EckoRed, which is a small part of the company’s $670 million wholesale apparel business. Within the three years, she said EckoRed’s business would triple and surpass the young men’s Ecko Unltd.
A floor below EckoRed is Avirex, which Marc Ecko Enterprises purchased in January 2006. Known primarily as a men’s outerwear resource, the midtier brand never dabbled in women’s sportswear.
“People kept telling us that we shouldn’t get into the junior business, since business in the area was poor,” said Jeff Strumeier, president of Avirex. “But we feel that we’ve gotten the product right. It will be our strength and eventually surpass our men’s business.”
Wholesaling between $7 for a T-shirt and $300 for a leather jacket, the Avirex junior line is casual, with dip-dye graphic-print hoodies in bright colors like pink and blue, logo T-shirts and tank tops, tube dresses, polo shirts, skirts and an array of jeans. There are also two-for-one pieces, such as the graphic T-shirt sold with a long-sleeved thermal top, wholesaling for $13.
“Our idea was to get our men’s sportswear out first, which we launched in spring 2005,” Strumeier said. “Once we built up the momentum there, it was time to get into juniors.”
Strumeier said he expected to reach somewhere between $12 million and $15 million in first-year wholesale volume. The collection is being targeted to midtier retailers such as J.C. Penney and Mervyns, as well as an array of specialty retailers, including Mony and Dr. Jay’s.