Red Tiger Taps California Lifestyles
Los Angeles–based Red Tiger Trading Co. Ltd., a relatively new maker of contemporary sportswear and better casualwear, has added a trio of new resources to its brand portfolio: Mijo, a chic, sophisticated casual loungewear collection for women; T, a contemporary novelty T-shirt collection; and Ever, a better casual streetwear line for young women.
Red Tiger’s current brand offerings include Capital Tailors, a contemporary denim sportswear collection that pays close attention to construction, and Ever’s men’s line.
The new collections are in sync with the company’s “California Couture” design sensibilities, according to Red Tiger President Joe Krafka. To make it happen, Red Tiger recruits designers with a flair for the California lifestyle, he said.
Mijo designer Michelle Jonas relies on the fashion knowledge she gained as the accessories editor at Vogue magazine and women’s apparel designer at Lauren by Ralph Lauren. The New York transplant combined her high-fashion sensibilities with California’s casual lifestyle for Mijo (the designer’s name in abbreviated form), a casual chic line with wholesale price points ranging from $47 to $89. A tie-dye silk chiffon tunic in navy blue, light blue and white; a coral halter camisole and matching skirt made with linen and Cluny lace; and a floral micro-Modal drawstring halter dress are a few pieces in the collection. Novelty details include sponge stamping, hand-carved bone beads from Nepal and Cluny crochet lace from England. Deliveries for Holiday/Cruise 2004 begin Oct. 1.
T, a soft and elegant T-shirt line for women made with Supima cotton, exemplifies casual West Coast living. Designer Jackie Krafka, wife of Joe Krafka, was looking for the perfect tee—one that didn’t rise above the belly and had built-to-last construction. Silhouettes include shortsleeved deep V–necks, basic long-sleeved V-neck tanks, three quarter–sleeve Henleys, capsleeve crews, off-the-shoulder Vnecks, and cropped tie-front and pleated-front camis. The line’s color palette includes soft, muted shades as well as vibrant hues, such as smoke, light pink, espresso, nude, blush, violet, flamingo and crimson. Wholesale price points range from $23 to $42. Holiday deliveries begin Oct. 1.
Rounding out Red Tiger’s offerings is the recent launch of women’s better casual urbanwear line Ever. Creative Director Jason Bleick said he hopes the line will achieve the same level of success in young hipster circles as the related men’s line garnered in its first year. The 10-piece women’s collection features deconstructed surplus-style denim bottoms and miniskirts with satin zipper detail, tight-weave lightweight military-style twill pants, a lightweight military jacket with zip side vents, a thermal-lined hooded sweat shirt with Japanese floral embroidery, and 40 single ring–spun cotton T-shirts with handstamped logos. The line uses double and triple processing for novelty washes, such as over-dye and stone wash. Other details include signature printed tape seams and handembroidered details. Wholesale price points range from $66 to $124.
Lucky Brand Dungarees founders Gene Montesano and Barry Perlman and business partner Trent Merrill founded Red Tiger almost two years ago. The trio hired Krafka, former president of Earl Jean Inc., to head up the new venture.
The new collections are part of Red Tiger’s strategy to diversify its brands, said Krafka, who declined to give first-year sales projections for the lines.
Red Tiger could become a $30 million business in three years, according to Brien Rowe, managing director of The Sage Group LLC, the boutique Los Angeles investment bank that negotiated Nautica Enterprises Inc.’s $86 million purchase of Earl Jean three years ago.
“Red Tiger Trading Co. has fresh, unique designs that are being well received in the marketplace,” Rowe said. “They found a unique niche in better casual apparel that few companies have tapped.”
To accommodate its expansion, Red Tiger is relocating from a 2,500-square-foot facility in downtown Los Angeles to an 8,000-squarefoot warehouse in Vernon, Calif. —C.F.
