Camp Beverly Hills to Relaunch at MAGIC
Franshaw Inc., the New York-based product development company that purchased Camp Beverly Hills almost three years ago, announced its plan to relaunch the teen line during the Aug. 27–30 run of MAGICkids in Las Vegas.
The former Los Angeles-based clothing brand for teens made a big splash in the 1980s. Its logo, consisting of five palm trees on a small island and the brand name in funky lettering, reflected the relaxed attitude of the clothing upon which it was screen-printed: pastel-colored T-shirts, tanks and fleece tops.
The move to relaunch the label is part of Franshaw’s effort to reach a broader range of customers in the tween market, according to company officials. Jeanie Blue jeans and Soda Fizz are among the brand names the company has helped develop in recent years.
Those familiar with Camp Beverly Hills will see a noticeable difference in the line’s new logo: the top half of a palm tree above the company’s name in bold letters. “The label logo has been tweaked a little to reflect the simplicity of [new] times,” said Roxanne Castillo, a Franshaw spokeswoman. However, Castillo said, the company will continue to use a variation of the island theme in other collections as well as use Camp Beverly Hills’ signature colors—pink and green.
Nostalgia played a role in Franshaw’s decision to purchase the brand label. “We’re trying to recapture a successful company,” said Eddie Shamah, Franshaw’s vice president. “It used to be a really fun label, and now we’re trying to repeat it with new tween styling to bring out a whole new fun line.”
The label still had brand recognition when Franshaw bought the company in 1998. “We based our decision to purchase it on the company’s previous success,” Shamah said. “It was licensing out very few categories, and the licensees were not doing much with it.”
Last year Franshaw Inc. announced it was getting ready to give Camp Beverly Hills another chance after it hired a design and marketing team to create a whole new image for the line. The design team revamped much of the line’s original signature look and added some embellishments to create a look that would appeal to a new generation of customers, yet still hearken back to the brand’s origins.
The relaunch of Camp Beverly Hills is not exactly a homecoming. The label that was once indigenous to Southern California will now be manufactured in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Sri Lanka, where several of Franshaw’s products are currently being produced. And, Shamah said, the company’s headquarters will remain on the East Coast. “We understand the West Coast image and we plan on incorporating both coasts to create this unique line,” he said.
The line includes three collections: sportswear, lounge/sleepwear and swimwear. Shamah said all three collections are “very updated and stylish with mix-and-match pieces, and made with comfort-driven fabric.” The sportswear collection includes polo-inspired short- and long-sleeve knitted tops and leisure-style bottoms. The collection will also combine athletic influences with delicate embroidered embellishments. The lounge/sleepwear collection includes short-sleeve pajama tops and cami tank tops with matching bottoms in soft mesh, scalloped cuts and minor embellishments.
The swimwear collection represents is the first ever for the brand. It utilizes nylon and spandex with an assortment of embellishments to create a glitz-and-glam look for teens. The collection includes one-piece suits in seven styles, four tankinis and two bikinis.
Wholesale price points range from $4 to $10 for knitted tops and bottoms to $7 and $10 sleepwear tops and bottoms. The company also plans to include promotional gifts with each order.
First-year sales are projected at $6 million, according to Shamah. Initial distribution, with delivery beginning Nov. 30, will be focused on domestic retailers, with an emphasis on the tween market. He said there are already retailers who are interested in acquiring the line. However, Franshaw officials feel Camp Beverly Hills will stand a better chance of drawing attention to itself at MAGICkids. “Just being at MAGIC will show off the new line’s capabilities and introduce [us] to the tween market,” Shamah said.
Camp Beverly Hills will be available at MAGICkids booth #K3981.
For more information, call (212) 719-2222.
