Girls Gone Wild Debuts Apparel Homage to quot;Spring Break Culturequot;
Joe Francis, the founder of the Girls Gone Wild racy video collection (which entices young women to flash some skin in exchange for a branded T-shirt) will delve further into apparel with the launch of Girls Gone Wild lines of loungewear, intimates and swimwear at the MAGIC Marketplace Feb. 13–16 in Las Vegas. As previously reported in the California Apparel News, the swimwear will be designed by Los Angeles– based designer Ashley Paige.
“The clothing collection is our next step for continuing the growth of the brand and the affinity with our fans,” Francis said in a prepared statement. Jen Mallini, Francis’ former stylist and vice president of apparel, said the brand takes inspiration from America’s youth culture. “We’re celebrating the Spring Break culture,” she said. “It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and now the timing seemed perfect.”
Bowing with a Spring/ Summer 2007 collection, the loungewear will include tank tops, jersey dresses, lounge pants, hoodies and leggings for women and T-shirts, hoodies, boardshorts and lounge pants for men. Wholesale prices for the lines will range from $18 to $65, Mallini said. Branding will vary from piece to piece, Mallini added, noting that some pieces will be minimally branded, bearing only a small Girls Gone Wild tag.
The company, which will open a showroom in the Gerry Building in downtown Los Angeles later this month, hopes to target high-end specialty retailers, boutiques and department stores.
While the brand will undoubtedly benefit from the name recognition of the Girls Gone Wild videos, it will also have to distance itself from the franchise’s notoriety. In January, Francis was sentenced by a federal judge to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $500,000 fine for failing to adequately document the ages of young women in his videos.
So far, Mallini said, the response from retailers to the concept has been mixed. “What retailers have to understand is that the clothing is its own separate entity. We are really excited about it and have gotten a great response from some retailers.” —Erin Barajas
