NEW YORK — Less than six months after GarfieldMarks changed hands, the company has emerged with a new design team and new management for its bridge lines GarfieldMarks and Womyn.
“What it needed, other than sound management, was an update,” said Howard Sheer, co-managing partner for GarfieldMarks LLC. “We’ve had to wipe the slate clean in terms of a new design team and management.”
Six members of management at Harvé Benard Ltd. bought the trademarks for GarfieldMarks and the Womyn brands in April. GarfieldMarks LLC is a completely stand-alone business separate from Harvé Benard, though the two firms share back office facilities. GarfieldMarks is in the process of negotiating for a new showroom.
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The sale of Harvé Benard will not affect GarfieldMarks, according to Harvey Schutzbank, who is co-managing partner for GarfieldMarks and an executive at Harvé Benard.
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Founded in 1993, GarfieldMarks enjoyed a peak of more than $60 million in sales in the Nineties. The company changed hands three times, and its look and sales took a hit in the last two years, according to Sheer, who conservatively predicts 2007 sales will be $40 million.
“The prior management made strategic missteps, which caused the company to stumble pretty badly,” Sheer said. “An erosion of sales had begun with prior ownership. It couldn’t ship enough product on time, so it lost its reorder business.”
Stacy Esser joined in July as president of the company. Esser was director of sales for the firm for five years during its heyday, from 1998 to 2003, and is now responsible for sales and marketing. During her time away, Esser was vice president of sales at Bill Burns and director of sales for Robert Graham.
“For me, the mission was to come back and instill the same level of confidence with the customer base — gain back the trust that may have been wavering,” Esser said. “A lot of what needs to be done, we’ve already done. We’ve accomplished a lot in a very short time. The next piece is getting on the phone every day and calling every customer, letting them know what is going on with the company and that we are still here.”
The company has enlisted Brian Cook as the creative director for the GarfieldMarks brand, and David Landauer as creative director for the Womyn label. Landauer has experience at Calvin Klein, on the design team for the women’s collection and design director for men’s sportswear, and as design director of Bill Burns, the bridge division at Kellwood Co. Cook, who arrived in June, has worked on the design team at Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, as well as heading his own label. “Brian brings a different level than GarfieldMarks has ever had,” Sheer said.
Bernie Marks, who cofounded GarfieldMarks but sold his interest in the business, has rejoined the company in an advisory role. “He will be an adviser and an ambassador. He is so well-respected as the engine and driver of this business when it started.”
According to some specialty store owners, the bridge lines appear back on track for spring 2007. Pamela Katz, who owns First Impression in Lafayette Hill , Pa., has carried both lines, GarfieldMarks and Womyn, since their inception. She noticed a “little transition last spring when it changed hands and designers.” Katz’ orders have returned to where they were two years ago. “We miss it and have customers who missed it,” she said.
The GarfieldMarks line has added sportswear and underpinnings to the line, as well as updated the look and details on the signature suiting. Jackets wholesale from $165 to $190 and pants retail for $80 to $95. The more casual Womyn line is introducing new styles and silhouettes to the line, at $64 to $85 for pants and $85 to $115 for jackets.