NEW YORK — The misses’ department is about to become a bit more contemporary.
That’s because the Longmont, Colo.-based Atlandia Corp., the parent company of such knit labels as Islandic Designs and ID Clare, is launching Parley, a new knit brand for fall 2006 retailing.
So the designers get a taste of the most current trends in fashion, the company has based the design team for Parley here.
“We’ve been wanting to do a more sleek, more contemporary collection for some time now,” said Gerdur Kristjansdottir, founder of the company. “We placed the designers for the line in New York so they can be exposed to the fashion there and stay on top of trends.”
Kristjansdottir said the Parley line, targeted to better specialty stores, includes an array of long, sophisticated jackets and skinny-knit ribbed sweaters made in cashmere, silk and nylon blends, and cotton and alpaca blends. The line also offers a variety of versatile underpinnings in tanks and camisoles. Wholesale prices range from $40 to $70.
Among the company’s other lines, ID Clare wholesales from $30 to $60 and Icelandic Design wholesales from $75 to $90. Kristjansdottir said she expects Parley will reach about $1.5 million in first-year sales.
Kristjansdottir, an Iceland native, founded Atlandia in 1980; it was born out of her love for handmade knits, which began as a hobby and expanded into a business. The company opened its North American operations about 20 years ago and produces its sweaters in China. The lines are sold from company headquarters in Longmont and through its representatives across the U.S. and Canada.