NEW STRATEGY: Seventies-inspired footwear-maker Madison Harding is testing the apparel waters.
The New York-based company released a capsule collection — its first foray into clothing — about a year after the company was sold to PLC Brands LLC and shifted to a strategy of selling direct-to-consumer. The deal to PLC placed Madison Harding in a portfolio that includes footwear brands Aska and Claetyn Wood. Cofounder Hilary Koyfman parted ways with Madison Harding at the time of the deal.
Apparel seemed like a natural progression for the brand, said Barri Budin, the company’s other cofounder who stayed on as designer. Apparel, if successful, could also pave the way for the brand to enter into other categories, she added.
The collection totals 13 pieces and ranges from $68 tops to $165 for a velvet jumpsuit. The capsule will be sold direct through the company’s Web site, in line with a larger shift that took place after the PLC acquisition to switch to a direct selling model.
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“We used to sell wholesale when we had [only] the shoes and then we re-branded over the past year and decided to take the brand direct,” Budin said. “So we’re only selling on our Web site. That way we’re able to make the product more affordable.”
The company, which has a workforce of five, had previously worked with Bloomingdale’s, Shopbop and Anthropologie among other retailers when it had its wholesale business.
Madison Harding is already looking to its summer apparel collection, which Budin said will likely be a more curated, smaller offering than the capsule launch. Ultimately, the goal is to grow the apparel business and launch into other new categories if the capsule proves successful, she said.