Petro Zillia Relaunches Wholesale Business
In 2006, designer Nony Tochterman decided to focus on her new Los Angeles store, House of Petro Zillia, after 10 years of wholesaling her Petro Zillia retro-inspired contemporary line. Tochterman, who named the line after the Hebrew word for parsley, continued to design Petro Zillia but backed away from the wholesale side of the business, which included retailers Saks Fifth Avenue, Isetan in Tokyo and Selfridges in London. Instead, Tochterman sold her line exclusively at House of Petro Zillia and supplemented her racks with pieces from Saint Grace, Wilster, Clover and Jainesse.
For the Holiday/Resort 2007/2008 season, Petro Zillia returns to the wholesale market with a capsule collection of 15 silk, chiffon and ribbed cotton dresses. “I couldn’t stay away. I got the itch,” Tochterman said. “I basically took proven styles that have been selling in my store and reinvented them,” she said. The result is a colorful collection of tunic-style mini-dresses, floaty party dresses and mod little numbers that will wholesale from $122 to $188.
Tochterman, who stressed that her store and private-label business remain her top priority, said the relaunched Petro Zillia wholesale business will probably not grow to what it once was. “We’ll see how this goes. I want to keep it small,” she said, adding that her target distribution this time around will strictly be specialty stores. “And only specialty stores that aren’t in my area,” she laughed. For Spring 2008, buyers may see an expanded Petro Zillia wholesale offering, which could include variations on the jumpers and high-waisted trousers that are flying off the shelves at House of Petro Zillia.
The Kristi Harris showroom at the Cooper Design Space will represent the line. For more information, call (213) 683-8086. —Erin Barajas
