Zac Posen at Neiman Marcus, Glossier Heads to Brooklyn – WWD

Back of ZAC: Neiman Marcus will launch the Zac Posen fall 2022 ready-to-wear collection exclusively in two seasons, according to Centric Brands LLC, which owns the designer brand.

The deal with Neiman is a step forward in Zac Posen’s centric strategy to build it into a lifestyle brand. Zac Posen womenswear will launch in select department stores in Fall 2022. Centric acquired Zac Posen and all of its intellectual property from Z Spoke LLC in 2020, and has since managed the brand’s licensed portfolio and in-house handbag lines.

“We believe there is white space in the market for beautifully crafted apparel,” said Melissa LaFerre-Cobb, senior vice president and division head Zach Posen. The new fall rtw line officially launches on September 5th.

“Launching the Zac Posen ready-to-wear collection under Melissa’s leadership is an exciting opportunity to grow and expand the brand,” said Suzy Bizanz, Group President, Centric Brands.

The rtw collection, according to Centric, reflects “strong femininity” and offers “sophisticated and sensual silhouettes inspired by architectural draperies but in a minimal and approachable way.” A vibrant color palette, and attention to detail and details. It will go on sale in August at 18 Neiman Marcus stores and at neimanmarcus.com. The collection ranges in price from $495 to $1,890 and is available in sizes 0 to 14. The brand is launching a digital flagship e-commerce experience at zacposen.com in late September.

Centric also owns and manages Hudson, Robert Graham, Avirex, Fiorelli and Taste Beauty and operates the Favorite Girl brand with Sarah and Erin Foster. The company’s portfolio includes more than 100 brands, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica and Spyder.

In the year In 2020, the stricken Centric filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy but exited the restructuring the same year with new owners Blackstone, Ares Management and HPS Investment Partners, Blackstone Centric’s majority sponsor. The restructuring allowed Centric to eliminate about $700 million in debt. Due to the pandemic and bankruptcy, Centric closed its own stores, most notably under the BCBG Max Azria, Robert Graham and Joe Jeans banners. – David Moyne

Brooklyn Bound: Glossier is headed to Brooklyn.

While the Emily Weiss-founded beauty business recently announced it’s moving into Sephora, it’s not giving up on its own stores and plans to open a location at the intersection of North 6th Street and White Street in Williamsburg, WWD has learned.

A representative for Glossier confirmed plans for a Williamsburg store this fall, but declined to provide further details.

In addition to the Brooklyn store, Glossier’s new CEO Kyle Leahy told employees earlier this week that the flagship in the Soho neighborhood will reopen in 2023, while other stores in the U.S. are also in the works.

“I’m excited about the rapid progress we’re making with our omnichannel strategy, ramping up our product map, launching our partnership with Sephora in early 2023, redesigning our website in 2022, and opening new stores in major cities. America, with our NYC flagship in Soho in early 2023.” It ends with our return,” she wrote in a note. “What I’m most excited about is that these aren’t just words on a page or plans in a strategy. They’re in motion, and you’re all making them happen.”

This comes after it was announced that Glossier had laid off 24 employees under Leahy, who took over from Weiss in May.

“Glossier’s first chapter focused on just one distribution channel. Now we’ve grown, the marketplace has evolved, and our customers are looking to us to meet them where they are: in-store, online, with retail partners and around the world,” explains Leah. “We are reorganizing our organization to align our structure, scale and capabilities with our refined omnichannel strategy. While these decisions are incredibly difficult, I am confident that Glossier will be positioned for success in its next chapter. – Katherine Hopkins

Sales Resale: After one year, ThredUp announced that Noel Sadler has joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer.

Sadler, who most recently served as CMO for e-tailer Lulu, brings experience as a marketing executive at Mac Cosmetics and Retold Recycles, a subscription-based laundry service she founded. A graduate of New York University, Sadler has further education in business administration and sustainable business strategy.

“ThredUp is changing the way the world does business, and I’m excited to expand the company’s mission,” Sadler said in a statement. “My expertise is in consumer marketing and merchandising, but my passion lies in sustainability and reducing waste in fashion.”

Sadler specializes in e-commerce marketing and merchandising. Merchandise Merchandise. She is the company’s first CMO in five years and will report to ThredUp President Anthony Marino, who previously oversaw marketing.

The U.S. secondhand market is estimated at $35 billion in 2021 and is expected to more than double by 2026, reaching $82 billion, according to ThredUp’s 2022 Resale Report. With the second-hand market still in expansion mode — and startups popping up every day — the new hire will be instrumental in helping ThredUp cut through the noise.

“We’re very pleased to have Noel on board and he’s very much involved in marketing and merchandising. ThredUp President Anthony Marino told WWD.

Asked what the key future marketing channels are for ThredUp, Marino said, “Our philosophy has always been to diversify our spend across multiple online and offline channels. We’re also active testers of new and emerging channels, and we love to see those entering the advertising landscape – like Netflix – shaking things up. Still, our best advertisers are our customers who tell all their friends to buy ThredUp.

This spring, ThredUp took a bold marketing playbook from Patagonia, recently organizing a fast fashion boycott against Sheen as well as hosting a climate-positive concert during Coachella. The company partnered with celebrity statistician Carla Welch during the holiday season and wedding season to guide customers into sustainable habits.

Marketing aside, logistics is big business.

When it comes to how ThredUp handles handling issues behind the scenes, Marino said construction of a 600,000-square-foot distribution center outside of Dallas is making steady progress and is on track to break ground this year.

“When fully completed, the new four-level facility will bring ThredUp’s total network capacity to 16.5 million items – a 150 percent increase from our current capacity. With these investments, we are confident that we will unlock an ever-higher state-by-state process—a critical resource for future and sustainable growth,” said Marino. – Kaley Rositch