Velvet Heart: Carving Out a New Niche in Contemporary
Moshe Tsabag’s newest venture, Velvet Heart, wraps the apparel veteran’s expertise in the juniors, young contemporary and contemporary markets into one tidy package of denim-driven fashion.
Over the years, Tsabag’s Los Angelesshy;–based brands have been a presence in nearly every price point of the women’s market, with the juniors line Hot Kiss, young contemporary line Emphasis and contemporary line Jak & Rae. Jak & Rae and Emphasis have been discontinued, and Tsabag sold a majority stake in Hot Kiss to Bluestar Alliance last year.
Tsabag left Hot Kiss last September after the bicoastal apparel-manufacturing company Idea Factory bought the rights to license the Hot Kiss name.
Tsabag’s new label, Velvet Heart, offers contemporary styling and trends at a young contemporary price.
“Being exposed to both markets, the juniors and the contemporary, I found that the juniors business really went down and dirty in the prices,” Tsabag said. “There’s opportunity in the contemporary market to build a brand, and the price points are between the low and high.”
Velvet Heart’s core is denim in all the on-trend styles, including a ripped boyfriend jean, walking shorts, light-wash ’70s-style wide-leg jeans and jeans based on trouser patterns. Denim is fashioned in lightweight dresses, rompers, overalls, bustier tops, vests and skirts. Tie-dye silk tops, woven silk shirts, plaid flannel blouses and silk shirt dresses tie back to the “denim look.”
“I’ve been around for a while that I see the cycle when denim slows down. Denim will never go out, only slow down. There’s still demand for it; it needs to go [into a] different cycle. I think the cycle now is the fashion cycle,” Tsabag said.
Velvet Heart will start shipping at the end of February and has been sold to stores such as Fred Segal in Santa Monica, Calif.; Anthropologie; and E Street Denim in Highland Park, Ill. Wholesale price points range from $26 to $44.
For more information, call (213) 488-8400. —Rhea Cortado
