California Apparel News

Anzevino and Florence is on a roll.

The conceptual collection, which launched in 2003 as a T-shirt line, has expanded over the years to be a directional collection for men and women. Gen Art recognized the collection in 2006, naming it one of its Fresh Faces in Fashion. Recently, designers William Anzevino and Richard Florence found a need to distinguish the namesake collection further from its T-shirt roots by launching two new collections, I Hate Fashion and Laugh, Cry, Repeat.

The new lines have been picked up by key boutiques such as Atrium, American Rag and Planet Blue. Since the beginning, Anzevino and Florence’s T-shirts have generated interest from organizations as diverse as The Andy Warhol Museum and Coca-Cola, which both collaborated on collections with the designers. As the brand continues to evolve, launching separate collections has been a practical and timely way to merchandise its somewhat split personalities.

For those who love the emotion-driven “wear your heart on your sleeve” attitude of Anzevino and Florence, the I Hate Fashion collection fills the need for artsy graphic tees. The collection is a spinoff of the graphic T-shirt portion of Anzevino and Florence. Graphics are still included in the main collection, but the tees are now a separate line. “We were evolving from a T-shirt company to a collection. We still wanted to do our T-shirts, but they didn’t really merchandise with our silk dresses,” Anzevino said. “On the rack, we were kind of in an identity crisis.”

The core collection includes T-shirts with tongue-in-cheek sayings such as “No Time for Love,” “I Am Part of the Problem, I Am Part of the Answer” and “Laugh, Cry, Repeat,” which provided the name for the new mid-tier collection. Styles include tees with slightly A-line shapes as well as T-shirt dresses. Urban Outfitters was the first store to pick up the signature look, with art doodles, melancholy handwritings and journal entries. Wholesale priced from $14 to $20, the new I Hate Fashion collection is targeted at higher-volume accounts. “We have more luxury with this one to put it in more places because it’s very democratic,” Anzevino said.

Value has always been central to Anzevino and Florence. “When we started, part of the idea was to offer value into the design,” Anzevino explained. “That was part of our goal from the beginning.”

Florence agreed, adding, “Innovative but [affordable].”

Still, as the line evolved in design and fabrication, prices increased. Current wholesale prices for the Anzevino and Florence collection are $48 to $200. These days, the collection is sold at retailers such as Opening Ceremony, Revolveclothing.com, American Rag and OAK NYC. The Spring ’09 menswear collection is sold at various U.S. boutiques and launched exclusively in Japan at Isetan.

“We’re in talks with a few [majors], but we really wanted these other [new] labels to afford Anzevino and Florence the luxury of remaining exclusive and keeping its design integrity and not having to adapt to a mainstream mass appeal,” Anzevino said.

Laugh, Cry, Repeat is a women’s line that includes affordable versions of popular pieces from the core collection. “We had these pieces that people loved and wanted every season, but we couldn’t keep showing them and still evolving into the art brand that we wanted it to be,” Anzevino said. “But it didn’t make sense saying, ’Oh no, we’re not offering that anymore even if it’s still selling for you.’” Half of the collection is tried-and-true favorites, and the other half is new designs. Laugh, Cry, Repeat has the same sculptural, architectural aesthetic as the core collection, made in soft, supple fabrics such as Modal fleece and jerseys with light stretch. Many are sanded and washed to make them extra soft. “Hopefully, this collection will be something you’ll want to live in. It’s kind of our everyday brand,” Anzevino said. The line includes styles such as a satin jumper, an envelope tank and a girly cotton/silk-blend ruffled “Petal” dress. A hybrid hoodie with an oversize turtleneck is made in cotton/Modal French terry. Nothing in the Laugh, Cry, Repeat line retails for more than $150, and wholesale price points range from $20 to $68.

The collection launched last Fall and shipped for the first time this Spring to Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel and Steven Alan Korea.

Going forward, the design duo plans to continue to adapt and innovate. They will soon be opening a retail store at 8040 W. Third St. in Los Angeles. The store will serve as the new design studio and headquarters for the brand.

For more information on the collection, call (917) 304-3759 or visit www.azfn.com.