Derek Lam to create new fashion collection for Kohl's
Sep 24, 2012 (Menafn - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Designer Derek Lam, whose vision of women's fashion embraces clothes with what he calls "a feminine but unfussy beauty," will create a limited-edition line for Kohl's.
The Lam collection, drawing on influences from a recent trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will be available at Kohl's next April and May.
It's the second limited-edition collaboration announced by Menomonee Falls-based Kohl's Corp. as part of its DesigNation initiative and further indicates the firm's growing emphasis on exclusive brands.
The retailer's first DesigNation collaboration, with Narcisco Rodriguez, whose clothes have been worn by first lady Michelle Obama and actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Julianna Margulies, among others, will debut at Kohl's on Nov. 7.
The designs of Lam, a San Francisco native now based in New York, also have been worn by Michelle Obama, as well as by actresses Kristen Stewart and Diane Kruger.
While it's been eight years since Kohl's began offering exclusive lines of clothing linked to celebrities and big names in fashion, the retailer has become increasingly fashion-oriented of late.
Early this year, Kohl's announced plans to double the size of its design office in New York City and to open a graphics design studio in Santa Monica, Calif.
Meanwhile, the company is drawing a growing share of its sales from its exclusive lines -- the Simply Vera Vera Wang collection, for example -- and from its basics-oriented house brands like Sonoma.
In 2004, the exclusive and private brands together accounted for 25% of Kohl's sales. In the company's latest fiscal quarter, that number was 55%.
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