Bubblegum's New Line Has High-End Appeal
The creative duo behind the Bubblegum juniors denim line, a staple at moderate-priced department stores, has launched Tylerskye by Villand, a contemporary denim collection for better boutiques.
The men’s and women’s denim line—a division of Los Angeles–based Komex International Inc., parent company of Bubblegum apparel—bowed on the West Coast during the April 1–6 run of Los Angeles Market Week.
Co-owners John Inn and Laura Hong’s aim is to reach an older customer through tailored denim styles that pay close attention to construction and novelty details, such as multicolored threads, back-pocket pintuck details and welt pockets. Non-denim pieces include delicate silk blouses with original retroinspired art prints and pintuck details, as well as garment-dyed corduroy, which gives the line a vintage feel.
“Each piece is named after a cool city,” Hong added.
Designer Jorge Villapondo shortened his name to have it featured on the line’s label. Villapondo previously worked as a denim designer at Guess? Inc. before joining Bubblegum last year.
The men’s and women’s denim line is divided into three groups: basic, fashion basic and fashion. The basic group features simple looks, while the fashion basic and fashion categories offer more details.
Tylerskye’s 14-piece denim collection for women includes low-rise trousers, skirts and jackets. Silhouettes include a five-pocket jean with a dark indigo wash that is 99 percent premium slub denim and 1 percent spandex, sleek cigarette pants with zipper pockets, and classic trousers with welt pockets. Details include a stitched letter “S” on the back pockets.
Other silhouettes include a soft jersey open-sleeved tunic with a quilted empire waistband and a floral dot-print silk chiffon blouson top with a satin band. Some tops are detailed with feminine touches, such as lace, French inseams and baby stitches. Others come with ruched sides and tattered lace detail for an edgy feel. Wholesale price points range from $77 to $100.
Tylerskye’s six-piece collection for men features trousers, button-up shirts and jackets in denim and corduroy fabric. Silhouettes include basic five-pocket jeans made with 13-ounce rigid denim, 11-ounce rigid herringbone denim and low-rise 13-ounce rigid denim with welt pockets. Other looks include a ring-spun 7-ounce premium denim shirt with pearl buttons and an asymmetrical pointed pocket flap and an 11-ounce rigid-denim racer jacket. Wholesale prices start at $68.
Novelty washes and treatments for men’s and women’s denim include baked and handsanded whiskers, hand-nicking, yarn dyeing and resin rinses.
Inn and Hong launched Bubblegum apparel eight years ago as a fashion resource for 12- to 20-year-old women. Since then, the line has made its way into juniors departments at moderate-priced retailer doors, including Federated Department Stores Inc., the J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and the Kohl’s Corp.
Tylerskye is a line for the 25- to 35-year-old fashionable woman and her hip boyfriend, Hong said.
“The customer we are designing for knows denim and likes to dress it up,” she said. “We want our silhouettes to be narrow and focused on key silhouettes and multiple fabrics and washes.”
Tylerskye’s first-year sales projections are north of $5 million. The company will produce the denim and corduroy pieces domestically and the silk and jersey blouses overseas, Hong said.
With Fall 2004 deliveries beginning July 15, the line’s distribution will be exclusive to specialty boutiques for the first three years, Hong said. The Phillip NYC showroom in New York currently represents Tylerskye, and negotiations are underway with a West Coast showroom, according to Hong.
Plans are in the works to launch a children’s denim collection next year, with sizes ranging from 2 to 10, Hong said.
For more information, call (323) 233-9005. —Claudia Figueroa
