Swim Exec Koplin Joins Tommy Bahama Swim
Tommy Bahama, the 13-year-old lifestyle brand that tries to infuse tropical living into resort fashion, said it launched an in-house women’s swimwear division that is being led by the former president of its previous licensee.
Lynne Koplin became director of women’s swimwear at Tommy Bahama, effective July 5. Based in Los Angeles, Koplin resigned in late April as president and chief operating officer of Apparel Ventures Inc., which had been producing Tommy Bahama’s swimwear through late June.
The appointment answers the question about where Koplin, who holds some 20 years of experience in the swim business, would go after leaving Apparel Ventures. But the announcement also prompts the query about what is happening at Apparel Ventures.
Apparel Ventures declined to comment on Tommy Bahama, but a spokesperson for the Los Angeles company said it did not renew the contract for the license. Apparel Ventures said it plans to announce a new license and label before the start of the Miami Swim Show on July 16 in Miami Beach, Fla.
In the newly created position at Tommy Bahama, Koplin will oversee design, development and direction of women’s swimwear and help in devising the plans, projections and growth of the division. During her tenure at Apparel Ventures from 1999 to 2005, she landed the license with Tommy Bahama. She previously served as senior vice president of Warnaco Group Inc.’s Authentic Fitness division and as a merchandising executive at Cole of California before the label’s acquisition by Warnaco. She also had been a buyer for retailers such as San Francisco’s now-defunct I. Magnin.
Tommy Bahama said it plans to launch the Spring 2006 women’s swimwear line in August and begin shipments in January. The company also said it will target upscale department stores, specialty shops and core swimwear retailers. Tommy Bahama swimwear is currently sold at retailers such as Federated Department Stores Inc.’s Macy’s and Nordstrom Inc.
A spokesperson for Tommy Bahama said corporate executives were traveling and unavailable for comment. The company recently began advertising for patternmakers, senior designers and other apparel workers in Los Angeles. It also is searching for sales representatives in both New York and Los Angeles. With headquarters in New York and Seattle, Tommy Bahama is a wholly owned unit of Oxford Industries Inc., an Atlanta–based maker of private-label clothing that, according to Hoover’s Inc., has more than $1.1 billion in annual sales.
