It’s been a year since Iconix acquired junior sportswear company Rampage, and the new owner hasn’t wasted any time expanding the brand into more categories.
“Our mission with Rampage has been and will continue to be to build it into a complete lifestyle brand,” said Neil Cole, chairman and chief executive officer of Iconix. “Business has really taken off over the last year and there is so much potential for it to grow even more.”
The 23-year-old Rampage, still a staple for department stores, brings in about $300 million a year at retail. Iconix has just signed a girls’ sportswear license with Mamiye Brothers to introduce a collection of Rampage girls’ wear for spring 2007. Cole also said he is “very close” to signing a licensing deal for a full Rampage denim line, as well as another for a home collection.
In addition, there are 12 other licenses for products ranging from lingerie to shoes. The sportswear continues to be designed and manufactured by Larry Hansel, who founded the brand and is president of Los Angeles-based Larry Hansel Clothing. Hansel said the collection has become more sophisticated in the last year, almost to target a young contemporary customer rather than the junior shopper.
“There is so much more quality to the product now, and much more value,” Hansel said. “In the junior area, there’s a real niche for dressier junior clothing; everything looks so casual on the floor, and I believe the market is moving away from casual.”
Hansel said Rampage has upgraded fabrics, using rayon blends, silks and pima cotton to make knit tops and skirts, woven shirts, lined jackets, dresses and pants.
“We pay a lot of attention to detail in the product so that we can offer a better value,” Hansel said. “For instance, we have lined jackets and finished seams on the pants. You get more for your money now, which seems to be lacking in the junior area.”
To help launch Rampage’s new, more contemporary image, the brand has signed on 27-year-old Czech model Petra Nemcova to appear in its fall ad campaign, which appears in the September issues of In Style, Elle and Cosmopolitan. Shot by Gilles Bensimon, the campaign shows Nemcova wearing sexy looks from the collection, like a skintight black dress with bright red pumps.
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“Petra is the quintessential Rampage woman,” said Dari Marder, the company’s creative director. “Our goal with this campaign was to position Rampage as an aspirational brand for the young contemporary market.”
So far, retailers seem happy with the new Rampage image. Rob Smith, executive vice president and general merchandise manager at Macy’s East, said the line continues to perform well.
“With Rampage, Larry is really tapping into a great business opportunity,” Smith explained. “It’s targeted to a young, fashionable girl, which has always been its strength, but now the product just looks better than it ever has. It looks great on the floor and is being very well received by customers.”
Iconix acquired Rampage last year for a reported $45.9 million, consisting of $25.8 million in cash and $20.1 million in company stock.
The brand has had its share of ups and downs over the years. In 1996, wholesale volume hit $195 million, but the following year, overexpansion and reportedly weak financial management pushed Rampage into bankruptcy. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 1999.
“It’s almost like we are a fresh company now,” Hansel said. “It shows in the product.”