NEW YORK — Mexx, the European fashion brand owned by Liz Claiborne Inc., is moving in a more upscale direction, as evidenced by the offerings at the 4,000-square-foot store that opened Saturday at 500 Broadway in SoHo.
The company declined to estimate sales volume, but retail experts said the unit will have to ring up about $5 million in revenues to be profitable. Its neighbor, Bloomingdale’s, which attracts tourists and locals, is said to generate more than $800 in sales per square foot.
Mexx is making an effort to distinguish itself from the crowded, value-driven fast-fashion segment, which includes stores like H&M and Zara, by upgrading fabrics and lavishing its designs with more details and embellishments. It’s also paying greater attention to fashion. The company hired the designer Stephen Fairchild as creative director in May.
“This leather jacket is an example of what we’re doing,” said Barry Zelman, vice president and general manager of Mexx in the U.S., pointing to a $249 caramel-colored garment made of slightly distressed leather covered with a glossy sheen.
“Price points have gone up with the last delivery,” Zelman said. “We’ve upgraded the fabrics, details, treatments. We’re much more quality-driven. But styling and detailing are still most important.”
Jewelry is expected to be a “very big category,” said Zelman, noting that the designs have been infused with the same European sensibility as the apparel. “It will be much more elevated in September when we get sterling silver charm bracelets and necklaces,” he said. “The jewelry is more fashionable, with a higher taste level.”
Zelman picked up a sheer beaded shrug and sash belt covered with beading and said, “We’re not skimping on anything.”
Mexx’s first leather handbag collection includes a brown leather and suede number with a peacock feather for $119, a corduroy and leather bag for $59 and a pumpkin silhouette for $49. There’s also the all-important metallic and woven bags. “We’re getting a lot more into leather in the collection,” Zelman said.
The company is also looking at denim in a new way, launching a group with various washes and fits. Pants have gray grommets at the pockets, and jackets are shapely but not tight.
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Claiborne has been slow to expand Mexx since buying the chain in 2001. Including the new store, there are 10 locations in the New York and Washington, D.C., metro areas. Mexx’s first U.S. store bowed in September 2003 at 650 Fifth Avenue here. A 10,000-square-foot unit in Union Square opened one month later.
Zelman said Mexx is looking to expand in New York and other cities in 2006, but declined to discuss specifics.
The SoHo store, housed in an 1850s landmark building, was designed by an in-house Mexx team. It incorporates some of the building’s original elements, such as exposed brick walls and columns. A Mexx poster hangs above the black glass cash wrap. The store replaces the unit in Union Square, which was shuttered in April.
“It wasn’t that Union Square didn’t work,” said Zelman. “We were always looking to be in SoHo. At the time that we opened the Union Square store, SoHo wasn’t available. We want this to be our downtown flagship location.”