Silver Jeans is hoping the third time is the charm when it comes to tops.
After two short-lived attempts in the past decade to grow beyond its denim-based roots — baseball T-shirts designed by Dov Charney, who went on to found American Apparel Inc., and pricy tops that emulated the edgy styling of Diesel, Miss Sixty and Energie — Silver Jeans is introducing a 75-piece collection for fall that includes preppy blazers, striped cardigans, printed hoodies and slinky one-shoulder numbers.
The return to tops and outerwear comes as Silver tries to grow its 19-year-old brand and stock a steady stream of freestanding stores it plans to open in the Midwest. After launching its first store in Denver in July 2008, Winnipeg, Canada-based Silver plans to open one to two additional units in the next three months in Texas and Minnesota’s Mall of America.
Related Articles
“We always knew that from the pure concept of being a brand, it was an important element [to offer tops],” said Michael Silver, president of Silver. “The store clearly showed us, when we opened it, the missing element of the product line. We knew that we needed to do that and, ultimately, to have 50 to 100 stores, you’ve got to have the full complement.”
You May Also Like
To ensure the company won’t abandon the tops business after a mere two seasons as it had done in the past, Silver hired Giovanna Decapua, who previously worked at fashion knits company Dex Clothing, street sportswear line Groggy and NTD Apparel Inc., which has produced private label apparel for brands such as Forever 21, Arden B. and Wet Seal. Decapua will head Silver’s new division in Montreal, working independently of the denim designers in the Winnipeg headquarters.
The first delivery of tops in June is intended to evoke city chic, with screen-printed tanks and Ts with raw edges, engineered striped cardigans, preppy blazers and tailored woven plaids. The second grouping, Glam Rock, will ship in July and August with military-influenced fleece jackets, funky polos, printed hoodies and one-shoulder tops. Both groups will feature deep, rich hues with bright and bold accent colors and trims such as antiqued brass studs, sequins and foil prints on rayon, French terry, woven mini gingham, cotton twill and crinkled fake leather.
Silver hopes to interest higher-priced retailers with more trendy looks while serving his current sales base. Silver Jeans sells in Canada at major specialty chains including Bootlegger and Below the Belt. In the U.S., its retailers include Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Macy’s, Von Maur, The Buckle, Maurice’s and 3,000 independent accounts like E Street Denim.
Silver jeans retail for $80 to $95, and the tops and jackets will wholesale between $10 and $50 so that everything will retail for under $150. Silver said the tops business is projected to hit $10 million in the first year, compared with annual sales of close to $100 million for Silver Jeans.
“Silver has always been a middle luxury product,” Silver said. “We think of ourselves as a premium denim brand at a stupid price. We try to do the same thing in the tops.”