NEW YORK — Nanette Lepore quietly has been building her brand for the past 10 years, but this year, she is increasing her visibility.
Aside from opening stores in Boston, London and Oyster Bay, N.Y., she’s doubled the size of her Las Vegas boutique and is launching a fragrance and a line of footwear for spring and fall, respectively.
“There’s definitely been a huge jump from when we started to where we are now,” said Lepore, designer of the contemporary brand here. “We started out as a little shop in the East Village. Now, we’ve really built it up.”
Lepore, along with her husband, Robert Savage, president of the company, said they anticipate the wholesale volume of the brand to reach $63 million this year. A 25 percent jump is expected next year because of the increase in the number of stores, entry into new categories and global expansion. Lepore noted that Tokyo has been a strong market for her brand. She has one freestanding boutique in the Minami-Aoyama district, in addition to 25 to 30 in-store shops throughout Japan.
“The good thing is, I’m getting new customers along with the old ones,” Lepore said. “With clothing, I feel like every piece has to be special. You’re in a sea of competition. Something needs to set it apart from the pack.”
Wholesale prices for the Nanette Lepore collection range from $45 for T-shirts to about $400 for “a fabulous fancy coat,” Lepore said. Average wholesale prices are about $130 for dresses. Key looks in the spring collection include high-waisted pants and full blouses.
Lepore said her return five years ago to the runway during New York Fashion Week certainly helped her collection get to the next level. “You definitely benefit from doing the shows,” she said. “It pushes you to experiment with more newness; otherwise, you get comfortable. The shows help you push the envelope. It’s crazy, and I complain about it for three months, but it’s worth it in the end.”
Lepore will be honored tonight by the Fashion Institute of Technology Alumni Association at its annual Alumni Star Salute at the Rainbow Room here. The annual fund-raiser recognizes successful FIT alumni and friends who have made significant contributions to their industries.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
The increased visibility has prompted Lepore’s recent retail expansion. This summer, Lepore doubled the size of her Las Vegas boutique, which opened in October 2004, from 1,500 square feet to 3,000 square feet.
“At first, we were nervous about the Vegas customer, but we’re doing well there. A lot of working women from all over the country visit Vegas for conferences. A lot of people, I realized, knew the line, but didn’t know where to get it,” Lepore said.
The 1,800-square-foot Boston location, at 119 Newbury Street, opened last month. “I have a very good feeling about Boston,” Lepore said. “I felt like it’s a city with a lot of room to grow. It’s a college town and the clientele is just right for the clothes.
“Plus,” she added, “It’s fun to open stores in cities that you want to visit. Sometimes I have selfish reasons for opening stores.”
Lepore also, for the first time, is branching out to Europe. It took the urging of her London-based showroom, which has been selling to stores such as Selfridges for years, for Lepore to truly consider opening a boutique there. In February or March, she’s opening a 2,000-square-foot shop in the Notting Hill section of London. It took more than two years for Lepore to find the perfect location, then almost eight months to negotiate the lease. “London shoppers respond well to the line, and we’ve been getting a lot of e-mails from European customers looking for the line,” said Lepore.
The Oyster Bay, N.Y., boutique is expected to be 2,000 square feet and open in fall 2007.
Lepore also has partnered with New York-based shoe designers Banfi Zambrelli to create a full line of women’s footwear and handbags, to be manufactured in Italy. Lepore guaranteed “lots of detailing and pretty trims,” and admitted she’s not fluent in shoe-speak, just yet.
“I don’t really know how to describe shoes yet,” Lepore answered when asked to describe her collection, slated to launch for fall. The designer added, “They’re going to be just fabulous. Personally, I love platforms, so we’ll have lots of platforms and I will try to accommodate people who like flats,” she said, laughing. “We’ll have a wide range of shoes on the line. I have a lot of faith.
“We’ve had our plate full. For the time being, we’re going to focus on Boston and London,” she said. “Then we’ll take a deep breath and focus on the rest of Europe.”