NEW YORK — Taking a cue from parent Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., specialty chain retailer Club Monaco wants a bigger piece of the $30 billion accessories market.
Last year, Polo sought to expand its accessories business, offering, among other items, new Ralph Lauren Collection bags such as the Ricky and the Voyager, designed in luxurious alligator skins. Now Club Monaco is rolling out a little luxury of its own to entice customers. Fall looks include fur handbags, fur trapper hats, crystal and wood jewelry, and leather belts with custom hardware and intricate braiding.
Sales of the New York firm’s accessories category spiked 32 percent last year, partly because of the introduction of costume jewelry in the spring, said Club Monaco chief executive officer John Mehas. Industry sources said Club Monaco’s accessories division makes up as much as 10 percent of its $250 million business. Mehas hopes it will grow, as its past assortment of black nylon handbags, basic belts and knit gloves gives way to the new collection.
Club Monaco joins other specialty retail chains like J. Crew, Banana Republic and Abercrombie & Fitch spin-off Ruehl in its accessories drive. J. Crew introduced cultured pearl necklaces and 14-karat gold charm bracelets for the fall and holiday seasons. For this fall, J. Crew plans to raise the quality of leather in its handbags, said a company spokeswoman.
Seeing the accessories category as a lucrative market, Banana Republic overhauled its assortment by changing factories, tanneries and prices. Banana Republic launched its repositioned collection for spring, enhanced by an outdoor and print advertising campaign. The prices for fall range from $78 to $300; last fall, they were $48 to $78.
“We just moved on to the next echelon of quality factories,” said Deborah Camplin, vice president of nonapparel. “We even developed our own specific [Italian] leathers.”
In November, Ruehl opened a 600-square-foot accessories-only store here on Bleecker Street, selling its rustic leather handbags for $328 to $1,395. The store also offers shoes, small leather goods and jewelry.
Club Monaco’s fall accessories collection comprises bags, belts, fashion jewelry and cold-weather goods. Among the handbags are a chocolate brown suede hobo with leather trim and outside pockets that close with long leather zipper pulls; a tan-and-black zebra-striped calf-hair tote with zip pockets, and a soft caramel leather tote with inverted gussets.
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Belts include wide styles that are woven and finished with no-show closures.
There is 50 percent more jewelry than before. The assortment features necklaces ranging from vintage-inspired beaded strands to chunky, tarnished-bronze long designs.
In the hat category, Club Monaco will offer a men’s wear-inspired newsboy cap designed in herringbone wool, a brown suede cap with a buckle and foreshortened brim and a black-and-white striped knit ski cap. Cashmere scarves, knit gloves and other cold-weather accessories are being expanded as well.
“We are designing additional affordable luxury pieces for fall 2006, and it was necessary to find the finest raw materials,” said Robert Page, vice president of the accessories design division.
The average retail price of the collection of nine bags, an assortment of small leather goods, cold-weather items, hats, 15 belts and up to 20 pieces of jewelry has almost doubled. A Club Monaco handbag now averages $119 retail, compared with last year’s $69. Handbags range from $59 for a midsize suede shoulder bag to $229 for the rabbit fur look. Belts and jewelry retail from $39 to $79. Hats and cold-weather goods sell for $29 to $129.
“We are filling the accessible luxury void,” Mehas said. “We are creating value for our shoppers. Whereas before it was about emulating a certain designer’s look, now it’s about individual style.”
The collection will start bowing in July in Club Monaco’s 63 stores in the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The distribution of the accessories is changing, too. Club Monaco’s apparel is on a four-week cycle, but bags, belts and other goods will remain prominently displayed in the store’s windows and on shelves all season long.
In addition to women’s and men’s apparel and accessories, the stores offer a selection of Assouline books on fashion designers, photographers and architecture, as well as a tabletop assortment including Club Monaco vases inspired by a Greek amphora and Riedel stemless wineglasses, among other items.
Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at NPD Group, a marketing research firm based in Port Washington, N.Y., said Club Monaco’s foray into higher-priced accessories will give the company leeway to increase prices of the remainder of its collection. Apparel prices range from $69 for a blouse to $299 for a trenchcoat.
“The people who shop at Club Monaco do not want to be one of many, and that same personality needs to be translated into accessories,” Cohen said. “Accessories give [Club Monaco] the ability to take one step further.”
For the first time, this spring accessories will be featured in the advertising campaign, giving a hint at what’s to come for fall. The firm is also updating its Web site to enable e-commerce in the coming months.