Babystyle Births New Deal With Bloomingdale's
Babystyle, a division of Los Angeles-based eStyle Inc., is making its first foray into national retail distribution with a new maternity linethe company is launching under a partnership with Bloomingdale’s.
Babystyle Maternity willbe displayed in the sportswear department rather than hosiery or accessories, according to Frank Doroff, executive vice president and general merchandise manager of Bloomingdale’s, a division of Cincinnati-based Federated Dept. Stores. He said it’s a testament to the fact that the “clothes have clean lines and are easy to wear” and “will be very popular with the fashion-conscious Bloomingdale’s customer.”
Babystyle will receive in-store signage for its clothing and eventually benefit from cross-marketing campaigns. The two companies will also explore creating links on their Web sites and selling the clothing on Bloomingdale’s Web site.
“We see Bloomingdale’s as a leader in the fashion industry—very accessible with a great point of view. It’s really a perfect match for us,” said Laurie McCartney, babystyle founder and chief executive.
The clothing, designed in collaboration with model and babystyle spokesperson Cindy Crawford, will be sold as four-piece ensembles packaged in a two-in-one tote and diaper bag. Items include a cotton/Lycra T-shirt, a stretch-twill slim skirt and bootleg pant, a stretch-poplin shirt available in black and a white/khaki combination. and a slim skirt, long-sleeved blouse, pants and tank dress all in black matte jersey. Both collections will retail for $248.
The babystyle Web site also sells the lines, but McCartney believes the two sales channels won’t conflict.
“We understand customers don’t shop in one way,” McCartney said. “The goal of eStyle is to be close to the customer and understand what they want.”
Indeed, while a number of pure-play e-commerce companies have folded, eStyle has continued to carefully expand its offerings, say experts. However, the deal for Bloomingdale’s could have mixed results depending on babystyle’s follow-through in the marketplace.
“It gives them a hipper edge, a perception to customers that they’re attuned to new players in the market, but they could have had less risk with a more established manufacturer,” said Stuart Berman, president of Bergman & Associates apparel consulting firm.
The launch of babystyle Maternity will hit about a dozen Bloomingdale’s stores nationwide by the end of the month, including ones in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and California, where the stores at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto will carry the line. Babystyle Maternity will expand to all 24 Bloomingdale’s stores by the first quarter of 2002, McCartney said. —Nola Sarkisian-Miller
