Luxury label John Galliano is expanding its underwear business with a two-year license deal with the French SIL Group. Until now the line has been produced in-house.
John Galliano Lingerie – which was launched in 2002 – showed its fall-winter 2006-7 collection at the trade fair Salon International de la Lingerie in Paris earlier this month. “We want the line to continue to be exclusive, but at the same time it should have a wider distribution and a more approachable price,” a Galliano spokeswoman told WWD. The line is sold at 100 major specialty stores worldwide and will retail for $120 (£69) to $215.
The spokeswoman told WWD that, with the licence with the SIL Group, Galliano would increase its number of distribution points. She declined to talk about sales, but the industry estimates that sales of the lingerie line top the $5 million mark.
Click Here: liverpool mens jersey
“The license is part of SIL Group’s project to be an incubator for designer brands and we believe the John Galliano label is highly prestigious,” Marcello Laurenzio, chief executive of Liabel, the firm that produces and distributes the line in Italy, told WWD. “The line reflects the really strong spirit and personality of the designer.” SIL Group also produces underwear lines for Kenzo, Christian Lacroix, Cacharel and Christian Dior. SIL and Liabel are part of the French company Eminence.
Designer John Galliano himself will continue to have creative control over the collection, which echoes some of his most popular patterns like the Galliano Gazette. Also part of the range is Galliano’s renowned fondness of pairing the masculine with the feminine, as is the case with a pinstripe bra with lace. The five themes for fall-winter 2006-7 include the Galliano Gazette, the Smoking, the Tango, the Patchwork and the Bow.
The Smoking utilizes a tuxedo fabric, while the Tango was inspired by dancers in Buenos Aires. The Patchwork employs necktie prints in satin stretch, while the Bow recalls the romanticism of the 18th century, with lace and bow prints.
The collection also included cotton nightgowns, T-shirts and tank tops. New for fall are boxer shorts and kimonos. Demonstrating the importance of the collection, the company has decided to dedicate a corner of its boutique in Paris to underwear.