California Apparel News

Although Mervyn’s has been put up for sale by its parent company, the Minneapolisbased Target Corp., the Hayward, Calif.–based emporium is not ready to be knocked out of the retail scene. Mervyn’s recently partnered with boxer Oscar De La Hoya to introduce a casual activewear line endorsed by the Olympic gold medallist.

The Oscar De La Hoya Collection represents one of the department store’s first ventures into the realm of celebrity fashion. Television actress Holly Robinson Peete will launch a maternity line in July at Mervyn’s, and St. Louis–based artist Mary Engelbreit signed an exclusive deal with the department store to carry her infant apparel collection, Mary Engelbreit Baby, in September 2003.

Katie Winter, a Mervyn’s spokeswoman, said the company delved deeper into the crowded field of celebrity fashion after conducting research that found customers wanted more exclusive celebrity lines. Winters said Mervyn’s anticipates a celebrity line will attract crowds to its 267 locations and make the department store a destination.

Rick Barrera, a branding analyst for Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.–based Rick Barrera & Associates, said celebrity endorsements are only part of the struggle to bring bigger crowds into stores.

“It’s a two-step process,” Barrera said of piquing the public’s interest with a famous name. “The question is whether the brand is going to resonate with Mervyn’s customers. If the celebrity resonates, they’ll get the attention of the buyer, but they may not buy the clothes if they don’t like them. If the celebrity resonates with the target audience and they buy it, it’s a home run.”

The Oscar De La Hoya Collection features T-shirts, hoodies, training pants and knit caps. Retail price points range from $12 to $48. Many of the pieces feature the number 92, representing the year that De La Hoya won Olympic gold in Barcelona, Spain.

Winters said De La Hoya had a hand in designing the clothes and was often consulted on the style and fabrics of the collection. Mervyn’s also claimed to take samples of clothing from the boxing champion’s closet to ensure authenticity.

Mervyn’s approached De La Hoya with the idea of licensing his name to a clothing collection after the boxer worked with the store on its literacy program in 2003.

Since 30 percent of Mervyn’s customers are Latino, the store felt De La Hoya would be a strong draw.

“He has great crossover appeal to English- and Spanish-speaking guests. He has a strong West Coast presence and a strong sports appeal,” Winters said. —Andrew Asch