NEW YORK — Liz Claiborne Inc. is moving its eponymous legwear business out-of-house.
The firm has signed a license with Legxus International Inc. to design and manufacture socks and tights under the Liz Claiborne brand name.
Liz Claiborne has been creating a branded legwear collection since 1980. Over the years, the firm has produced the collection under license and in-house, where it has been for the past several seasons. The new agreement with Legxus is part of an effort to give more attention to the category, according to Barbara J. Friedman, president of Liz Claiborne Licensing. In addition to the Liz Claiborne brand, the firm has a portfolio of brands, including Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand Jeans, Laundry by Shelli Segal, Sigrid Olsen and Ellen Tracy.
“The accessories area for all our brands has started to proliferate,” said Friedman. “It becomes very complex to do every category, so we want to minimize the complexity and concentrate on keeping what we do well in-house, like handbags, leather goods and jewelry. We think we are not even close to what we could be doing in the legwear category for the Liz Claiborne brand. Legxus has the time and expertise to increase our productivity dramatically. We think we could see 10 percent growth a year as a result of this agreement.”
Friedman said a key priority for Liz Claiborne legwear will be to expand its range of offerings, including building its assortment of trouser socks, offering a broader spectrum of sport socks, growing its array of tights and boosting its overall fashion quotient.
“There is so much more fashion that our customer expects from us,” said Friedman. “For example, if legwarmers are a key item, Legxus can work that into the line. Legxus also has more access to sourcing the latest novelty and most updated yarns, and a dedicated sales staff.”
Legxus, a New York-based firm that designs, sources, markets and distributes legwear and intimate apparel, already has the license for Ellen Tracy socks and hosiery. It acquired that license in March when it purchased the assets of JBT Group, which has worked with Ellen Tracy legwear since 1990. Legxus also has the license to create legwear for Givenchy and owns the Round the Clock and Reve Avoix legwear brands.
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“We have spoken on and off for about five years with Liz Claiborne about this license,” said Barry Tartarkin, vice president of Legxus. “It’s such a big name, and we think we can reinvent it in this category. We see it as potentially becoming the biggest license we have.”
Legxus anticipates launching the first Liz Claiborne legwear line created in collaboration with Legxus for fall 2007. Prices will be targeted toward a better customer, with distribution expected to include Federated Department Stores, Dillard’s and Belk.
Although Friedman said Legxus’ success with Ellen Tracy legwear was essential to Liz Claiborne deciding to partner with the firm for the legwear line, she added that at this time it is not exploring signing licenses for its other brands. Juicy Couture, for example, currently designs and produces its own legwear.
“We love legwear, and we will add more brands to this category if it makes sense and is organic to the brand’s aesthetic,” said Friedman.