NEW YORK — David Rodriguez is the first to admit his new colorful, dazzling fur jackets probably will not suffice as the standby golden anniversary present — a full-length mahogany mink coat.
Through a new three-year licensing deal with Funtastic Furs, the designer has whipped up what he calls “fur candy.” It is an eight-piece collection that includes a Persian lamb beaded stole with fox trim, a fox shrug with suede ruffle detail and a fox bolero with suede inset.
Rodriguez said, in an interview in his new showroom, “Women are not going to wear these things in the middle of winter in Chicago when it is 10 below. These are the kinds of things you reach for because they make you smile.”
To that point, Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Palm Beach, Bal Harbour and Dallas are among the top-performing markets for fur, said the designer, who has been offering fur and fur-trimmed pieces in his ready-to-wear collection for the past few years. A peridot-beaded cropped fox jacket and a cashmere and silk jersey coat with Finnish raccoon collar are among the items offered this fall.
Rodriguez’s new fur collection will be sold in Birger-Christensen in-store boutiques in nine Saks Fifth Avenue stores. First-season wholesale volume may tally $1 million. The collection’s wholesale prices range from $1,250 to $6,250, with the bulk of the line falling between $1,250 and $2,000. “It has to be something customers react to. I always say, ‘We have to inspire the desire.'”
Rita Manzelmann, buyer for Miss Jackson’s, a specialty store in Tulsa, Okla., described Rodriguez as “one of the best rising designers.” The store does “extremely well” with his collection and expects to see more of the same with the fur pieces, she said. “Fur is a very big statement for fall just as an accessory piece.”
Rodriguez has been dabbling in fur since Saga invited him to visit its headquarters in Copenhagen in 2003. “It’s like fur camp. You go work with their master furriers and play with fur and learn about fur,” Rodriguez said.
Funtastic Furs approached him about doing a licensed collection after working with him on the fur pieces in his ready-to-wear collection. “What I loved about them is that they are very interested in new things. They’re young, and the fur industry is not young,” said Rodriguez, adding that other furriers would greet novel ideas with, “‘That’s just not how you do it,’ and I would think, ‘But why?'”
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Funtastic Furs co-owner Tasos Karaguni’s over-the-top enthusiasm helped seal the deal. “He’s like [chef] Emeril Lagasse, but with fur,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he had held off on signing a licensing deal prior to this. “We wanted to be sure the product stands up to what we want it to be. Our name goes right on it — and that’s all we have.”
But there is more to it than that. Earlier this month, the eight-year-old company quadrupled the size of its showroom, relocating to a 4,800-square-foot space at 252 West 38th Street in Manhattan. David Goodrowe, chief executive officer of parent company David & David Inc., said president Sean General has been instrumental in building sales.
General, who was recently promoted from director of sales and marketing, is a proponent of trunk shows, with 24 scheduled for each season. The designer’s new fur collection will be available for at-once purchases at spring trunk shows, which are under way now.