NEW YORK — When Kelly and David Shelsky opened for business 10 years ago, they began with a single sweater.
“We had this zip cardigan that just sold out right away,” Kelly Shelsky, executive vice president of Cousin Johnny, a better knitwear firm based here, said. “Now, 10 years later, we are bringing that sweater back, with some updated elements, of course.”
The chenille cardigan sweater was boxy in shape in 1995, with large pockets in the front and a single zip closure. The new version has a more contemporary fit, no pockets and a double-zip closure. The price hasn’t changed and remains at $44 wholesale.
The company has put 1,700 of the sweaters into production so far, and 75 specialty stores — including Aaron’s in Brooklyn, N.Y., Barbara and Co. in Denver, Darien Sports Shop in Darien, Conn., and Certain Things in Raleigh, N.C. — have ordered them for fall retailing. As an added bonus, 100 percent of the proceeds from the sweaters will go to the Shelskys’ favorite charity, Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit organization that conserves land as parks and gardens.
In addition, the Shelskys have asked 10 of the retailers they have been working with since the start (and who have never skipped a season) to help create an in-store design promotion. The stores include Pickett Fences in Los Angeles, Sharon Segal at Fred Segal in Santa Monica, Calif., Rear Ends in West Bloomfield, Mich., and By George in Austin, Tex. For the month of September, customers will be invited to design their ultimate Cousin Johnny sweater. Participants will write to Cousin Johnny, explaining what their favorite sweater would look like. At the end of the month, the Shelskys will review the entries and the winning design will be created exclusively for the winner, who will receive a $500 shopping spree at the store where the entry was submitted.