What follows is an excerpt from todays wwd. i had no idea jill stuart was so popular in japan. i think the cut of the items pictured below are quite nice. im impressed with what i see. i think it seems pretty nice for a secondary line. the dark haired lady is jill stuart herself.
Stuart Takes Youthful Approach With Jill
By Julee Greenberg
NEW YORK — Showgoers may notice a difference when Jill Stuart presents her collection Monday in a runway show at the New York Public Library.
That’s because the company plans to show select pieces from the new Jill collection, a lower-priced contemporary sportswear line launching in the fall. The new line will follow the same business model as the collection the company sells in Asia. That line, launched 10 years ago, now generates more than $100 million in wholesale volume.
Although the Jill line is similar in look to the higher-end Jill Stuart line, the price points are considerably lower. A typical dress on the Jill Stuart line retails at around $700, but a customer shopping the Jill collection will be able to leave with a $300 dress.
“It was really difficult for me to find fabrics that are high-end enough, but at an accessible price point,” Stuart said in an interview from her showroom at 550 Seventh Avenue here. “I don’t know cheap, and I don’t like working with cheap fabrics.”
But Stuart did find them. The collection is similar to the Jill Stuart line, as far as the color choices and silhouettes are concerned, she said, adding that the real difference in Jill is that it is “more youthful and bold.”
The collection consists of printed and solid satin dresses and tops, velvet dresses, tweed wool and soft felt coats, wool plaid jumpers, skirts and cotton sweaters. The rich color palette of deep purple, blue and green is mixed with the occasional piece of black, white or dark brown. The line wholesales between $40 and $159 and will launch at the Fashion Coterie trade show, beginning Feb. 20.
“We have been urged by many of our accounts to bring the [Asian version of Jill Stuart] line here for some time,” said Curtis, who is Stuart’s husband. “[We] considered launching it five years ago. Instead, we decided to concentrate on rounding out our lifestyle offering.”
The company has been working on a major push in Asia, offering cosmetics and children’s wear, and opening freestanding stores. Jill Stuart also developed a fragrance, Jill Stuart Vanilla Lust, which is sold worldwide. Its new men’s line, Stuart Curtis, is entering a second season at retail.
The 50 Asian stores the company has opened in the past year have “produced a significantly higher volume and return than those in the U.S. and Europe,” Curtis said. In hopes of expanding that business, he said the company anticipates opening 20 to 30 stores in the U.S. and in Europe within the next three years. There also are plans for store openings in the Middle East beginning this year. These new units will add to the 140 stores the company operates worldwide, and will boost the presence in the U.S., where there is only one store, located here in SoHo. Curtis said the company plans to open in major cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Boston.
“The Jill line will also open many new doors for us, since it is priced on the lower end of the scale,” Stuart said. “I am sure we can now be present in places we couldn’t be with Jill Stuart.”
And that’s not all the company has in the works. Stuart said she wants to make Jill a lifestyle brand on its own, with handbags, watches and even a fragrance to go with the sportswear, and soon launch children’s wear in the U.S.
“I love making clothes for little girls,” she said. “Especially having three daughters of my own, it’s always been fun for me.”
Over time, she said, this brand will develop into a full lifestyle line, but she isn’t rushing anything.
“I’m so happy that we waited until we could make it better,” she said. “I have so many ideas and am very hands-on, so what is to come will be really fantastic.”
Stuart Takes Youthful Approach With Jill
By Julee Greenberg
NEW YORK — Showgoers may notice a difference when Jill Stuart presents her collection Monday in a runway show at the New York Public Library.
That’s because the company plans to show select pieces from the new Jill collection, a lower-priced contemporary sportswear line launching in the fall. The new line will follow the same business model as the collection the company sells in Asia. That line, launched 10 years ago, now generates more than $100 million in wholesale volume.
Although the Jill line is similar in look to the higher-end Jill Stuart line, the price points are considerably lower. A typical dress on the Jill Stuart line retails at around $700, but a customer shopping the Jill collection will be able to leave with a $300 dress.
“It was really difficult for me to find fabrics that are high-end enough, but at an accessible price point,” Stuart said in an interview from her showroom at 550 Seventh Avenue here. “I don’t know cheap, and I don’t like working with cheap fabrics.”
But Stuart did find them. The collection is similar to the Jill Stuart line, as far as the color choices and silhouettes are concerned, she said, adding that the real difference in Jill is that it is “more youthful and bold.”
The collection consists of printed and solid satin dresses and tops, velvet dresses, tweed wool and soft felt coats, wool plaid jumpers, skirts and cotton sweaters. The rich color palette of deep purple, blue and green is mixed with the occasional piece of black, white or dark brown. The line wholesales between $40 and $159 and will launch at the Fashion Coterie trade show, beginning Feb. 20.
“We have been urged by many of our accounts to bring the [Asian version of Jill Stuart] line here for some time,” said Curtis, who is Stuart’s husband. “[We] considered launching it five years ago. Instead, we decided to concentrate on rounding out our lifestyle offering.”
The company has been working on a major push in Asia, offering cosmetics and children’s wear, and opening freestanding stores. Jill Stuart also developed a fragrance, Jill Stuart Vanilla Lust, which is sold worldwide. Its new men’s line, Stuart Curtis, is entering a second season at retail.
The 50 Asian stores the company has opened in the past year have “produced a significantly higher volume and return than those in the U.S. and Europe,” Curtis said. In hopes of expanding that business, he said the company anticipates opening 20 to 30 stores in the U.S. and in Europe within the next three years. There also are plans for store openings in the Middle East beginning this year. These new units will add to the 140 stores the company operates worldwide, and will boost the presence in the U.S., where there is only one store, located here in SoHo. Curtis said the company plans to open in major cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Boston.
“The Jill line will also open many new doors for us, since it is priced on the lower end of the scale,” Stuart said. “I am sure we can now be present in places we couldn’t be with Jill Stuart.”
And that’s not all the company has in the works. Stuart said she wants to make Jill a lifestyle brand on its own, with handbags, watches and even a fragrance to go with the sportswear, and soon launch children’s wear in the U.S.
“I love making clothes for little girls,” she said. “Especially having three daughters of my own, it’s always been fun for me.”
Over time, she said, this brand will develop into a full lifestyle line, but she isn’t rushing anything.
“I’m so happy that we waited until we could make it better,” she said. “I have so many ideas and am very hands-on, so what is to come will be really fantastic.”
Very cute
...she's kidding -right?!?!...
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