NEW YORK — Now when Nicole Miller dresses her customers, she will do it from head to toe.
The designer and president of the 23-year-old eponymous brand is rolling out footwear, handbags, belts and jewelry for spring in a renewed accessories push that she and chief executive officer Bud Konheim anticipate will boost the $800 million the brand generates at retail by more than 25 percent.
“We’ve always needed the right accessories, especially since our customers want everything,” said Miller. “We’ve dabbled in them before, but this is the first time that it has really come together.”
The expansion into accessories will all be under license, increasing the brand’s partnerships with outside firms for accessories to seven from two. Nicole Miller has a deal with Signature Eyewear for an assortment of sunglasses and a second with Paul Lavitt Mills for hosiery, both of which have been active for more than a decade. Recent agreements include a license for luggage with Monarch Designs Inc., one for women’s shoes with Camuto Group, another for handbags and umbrellas with Essex Mfg. and one for belts with Roma Industries.
Last month, Nicole Miller rounded out the mix by entering into an agreement for a collection of necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings with Maurice Max, the New York-based jewelry company that designs and produces Lee Angel.
Nicole Miller counts 24 licenses for its brand, including 11 for its home collection distributed exclusively at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and the brand has had licenses for accessories in the past. However, what differentiates these licenses is that Miller chose them for their ability to work closely with her for a hands-on approach that allows her to develop more into a lifestyle brand.
“We’ve learned a lot,” said Konheim. “When you hear about us in the past in terms of licensing, we made some mistakes and we had to switch. We had to learn every lesson in a painful way.”
The strategy change to build up the accessories end of the business dates back to 2003, following the brand’s development of its boutique network and, according to Konheim, an increased demand from consumers for Nicole Miller products.
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“The whole explosion here is really in the last two years,” he explained. “We realized that we were not maxing out the potential in special occasion clothing, so we started to change our idea on how to do it. We decided to start experimenting with accessories in our boutiques and see if we could translate the quality of the presentation within our boutiques to sell them in wider distribution.”
The risk has paid off. Nicole Miller began a soft launch of the shoes and handbags for this past fall in its 36 boutiques worldwide, 20 of which are in the U.S., and in select department stores, such as Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus.
“The average sale in the Madison Avenue [Nicole Miller flagship] store used to be about $600, but now the average sale with the accessories is around $900,” said Konheim. “And so far, if it’s successful in the boutiques, it’s successful everywhere.”
Spring’s accessories collection highlights feminine styles with special details, like a strappy sandal constructed on an ornately beaded platform heel, a cream canvas clutch with deep brown leather trim highlighting metallic floral embroidery, a wide black belt finished with leopard-printed ponyskin at the front and a gold-plated necklace of flowers arranged geometrically to fall casually about the wearer’s neckline.
Retail prices for the shoes, which comprise about 12 styles, will range from $225 to $395. Handbags, which include about 35 styles, will have prices ranging from $125 to $350, while the 12 belt looks will sell from $110 to $135. Only two necklaces will be produced, with a more full collection of approximately 25 styles, ranging in price from $150 to $750, launching in fall. Luggage will also roll out for fall.
The accessories are all geared toward the upper-end Nicole Miller Signature and Nicole Miller Collection lines. Depending on the success of select designs, the looks may be interpreted for the Nicole Miller Studio, Nicole Miller New York, MillerGirl and Nicole by Nicole Miller lines, the latter of which is only distributed in J.C. Penney.
Miller said her inspirations for the accessories designs grew out of her ready-to-wear, rather than a notion of what’s trendy now in, say, the shoe market or handbag category.
“Companies out there are a number of times following trends and when they are following trends, they are following last season,” Miller said. “Then they end up with last season’s innovation the following season and that’s not interesting to the customer because they’ve already seen it. But I always try to find new sources of inspiration.”
Miller and Konheim said they have not yet planned accessories-focused advertising, opting instead to show complete ensembles within future campaigns.
“There’s a phrase the industry uses. It’s brand building,” said Konheim. “We have never been about brand building. We have always been about customer building. The philosophy is to keep our eye on that one woman who has to dress completely for a special occasion. It’s really about getting all the right stuff together.”