California Apparel News

Swim designer Rod Beattie has joined the staff of swimwear maker A.H. Schreiber Co. Beattie will set up a West Coast office for A.H. Schreiber, where he will develop a new designer swimwear collection for the New York–based company.

The addition of Beattie’s yet-to-be-named brand will fill in a missing niche in A.H. Schreiber’s lineup.

“Within their company portfolio, they don’t have a designer contemporary brand,” Beattie said.

Adolphe Schreiber and his four brothers founded A.H. Schreiber in 1923 as a lingerie manufacturer. In the 1960s, the family-owned company began making swimwear and today produces swimwear under licensing deals with Badgley Mischka and Delta Burke, as well as its own brands, Longitude, Hot Water, 99 Degrees, Beach Native, Indio, Coco Beach, Beach Native Girls, Inches Away, Great Lengths, Dotti Covers, Wearabouts and Beach Star.

Beattie knew A.H. Schreiber’s brands but had only met some of the executives many years ago.

“I wasn’t searching; they approached me,” he said. “Everything lined up at the right time, and I’m ecstatic about it. They are they nicest people. I was so impressed. They have good energy—everyone there is so excited. They are behind it 100 percent.”

The collection does not yet have a name. “We’re close,” Beattie said. But he’s focused on the target customer. “She’s a contemporary woman with an active lifestyle,” he said. “She likes fashion; she wants to buy a great designer swimsuit for a great price.”

Beattie said suits will range from $90 to $125 at retail.

The collection will be produced overseas, and A.H. Schreiber will launch the new line in July in Miami.

Beattie was previously at Los Angeles–based Apparel Ventures, where he designed the company’s LaBlanca by Rod Beattie collection.

Beattie spent 17 years with Apparel Ventures in two separate stints with the swim maker. He left the company to work at Anne Cole for five years and then returned to Apparel Ventures, where he spent the last 11 years designing LaBlanca.

“It was time for me to move on and take on a new challenge,” he said.

Earlier this month, ApparelVentures was acquired by Cypress, Calif.–based Manhattan Beachwear Inc.—makers of Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Nanette Lepore, Hermanny by ViX, Sofia by ViX and Hobie—and its own brands, The Bikini Lab, 24th and Ocean and Maxine of Hollywood. In addition to LaBlanca, Manhattan Beachwear also acquired the 2 Bamboo collection and licensed brands Ralph Lauren, Trina Turk, ABS, Puma and Rampage in the deal.

At the time the acquisition was announced, Manhattan Beachwear executives said they planned to continue operating all brands under the direction of existing design staff, although there would be some consolidation of back-end operations, including IT and finance.

“Rod made the decision to leave Manhattan Beachwear Inc. on his own accord,” said Brenda West, president of Manhattan Beachwear. “We did not get a chance to work with him and wish him the best in his future endeavors. The LaBlanca brand has been around for over 30 years and is a largely distributed brand throughout the swimwear industry; it will continue on as usual.”

Beattie is currently looking for space to house A.H. Schreiber’s Los Angeles headquarters. He anticipates hiring about six people to work with him in the L.A. space. He said he envisions a space that can serve as a design studio, where he can meet with retailers and press to preview the collection.

“I’m looking for a great space that looks like a design studio,” he said. “I want it to be clean and contemporary and modern. I’m all about keeping it simple.

Beattie said the combination of his past successes at LaBlanca and Anne Cole coupled with A.H. Schreiber’s years of manufacturing experience provides the right tools for building the new collection.

“I have a really good track record,” he said. “The goal is to develop a great swimwear brand. I don’t want to be second-best. I want to be the best brand with the best quality for the best price.”—Alison A. Nieder