NEW YORK — Charlotte Ronson is growing up and getting down to business.
The 28-year-old contemporary designer has entered into a long-term joint venture with Sanei International Inc., the Tokyo-based apparel group, to create a company called Sanei Charlotte Ronson, which will do business as Charlotte Ronson.
In 2004, Sanei International, which has more than 1,000 contemporary and designer apparel stores throughout Japan, purchased Ronson’s trademarks for Asia. Ronson retained the C. Ronson name, which was acquired in 2003 by Damon Dash, then chief executive officer of Rocawear. In March, when Ronson’s partnership with Dash and Rocawear dissolved, Sanei International saw an opportunity to partner with the designer in the U.S. Sanei International entered into a joint venture, signed on as a major shareholder and changed the brand’s name from C. Ronson to Charlotte Ronson.
“Sayonara C. Ronson,” said Aaron Nir, ceo of Charlotte Ronson and Sanei USA. “In order to have longevity with the line, we did a thoughtful study of where she stood and where she could go, and we thought we needed to take it up a complete step and raise the quality and the price point.”
“The line used to be young contemporary,” said Charlotte Ronson, the brand’s designer. “I’ve grown up, my style has grown up, and I want the line to grow into a full collection.”
The spring line boasts 60 looks, the largest collection Ronson has designed to date. Better fabrics and intricate detailing and embellishments are now a part of the mix, thus the increased price points. The average retail price currently hovers around the $200 mark, up about $100 from past collections: A cotton voile dress retails for $239 and a stretch cotton canvas blazer retails for $249.
“We’re moving the brand into a more mature contemporary market, away from a junior market, and making it a brand that could compete with a brand like a Marc by Marc Jacobs,” Nir said. Currently, the collection is available at more than 100 specialty boutiques and department stores worldwide, including Fred Segal and Tracey Ross in Los Angeles, Intermix and Scoop here, and Nordstrom.
Since last June, 14 freestanding Charlotte Ronson stores have opened in Japan. By March, the total is expected to reach 16 and within two years, Nir sees the total reaching 30. Currently, there is one freestanding Charlotte Ronson boutique in the U.S., located here in NoLIta on Mulberry Street, but Nir said Los Angeles is also “on his radar.” He expects the brand’s retail volume to reach $15 million in Japan in 2006, while in the U.S. he expects the retail volume to reach $7 million next year.
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“We also want to strengthen our categories,” Ronson said. The brand presently offers footwear, swimwear, innerwear and some outerwear.
Ronson tapped designer Amy Liu, formerly of the contemporary brand Development, to help design the collection here. The collection sold in the U.S. is slightly different than the one available in Japan.
“This is definitely a new beginning,” she added. “I’ve been in this business for a little while and I’m very excited to be working with people who have the same love of fashion and who know how to run a good business. We share the same vision and understanding of the market. This partnership makes sense.”