MANUFACTURING
Sam Edelman Looks to Los Angeles to Develop New Blue-Jeans Line
Sam Edelman is known for the cute and fashionable shoes the New York company has been making for more than 10 years.
When the brand decided to launch a new denim collection, Los Angeles is the place where the trendy footwear venture looked to find the right designers and sourcing managers to help launch Sam Edelman denim.
They ended up working with Global Brand Group Denim West in Los Angeles, part of the Hong Kong–based Global Brands Group Holding, which over the years has developed licensing agreements with Calvin Klein, Under Armour, Juicy Couture,Cole Haan and Jones of New York.
Global Brands is also in partnership with Marquee Brands to produce the latest BCBGMaxAzria collection after the Los Angeles brand’s name was sold after its bankruptcy-protection filing last year.
Denim West and Sam Edelman worked together to introduce a Holiday collection, and now they are rolling out the Spring/Summer 2018 collection.
“There are two things that are critical to a successful denim collection—the perfect fit and being on trend. These are both things the Sam Edelman brand is known for and will be the foundation for the denim launch as well,” said Suzy Biszantz, president and chief executive of GBG Denim West.
For Holiday, the first offerings featured jeans and denim jackets in an array of washes and three fits. The featured fits include a mid-rise jean, a high-rise jean and a boyfriend jean. Some had crystal embellishments and coated denim. The Spring collection expands the offerings to denim skirts and shorts.
Right now, the collection is selling at Nordstrom and at www.samedelman.com with retail prices ranging from $98 to $148.
The forces behind the Sam Edelman label are Sam and Libby Edelman, who created the Sam & Libby line of shoes in 1987, which was known for its bowed ballet flats that became a fixture on the fashion circuit. In 1996, the shoe line was sold to Maxwell Shoe Co.
Then the Edelmans returned in 2004 to launch the Sam Edelman shoe line, which was sold in 2010 to Caleres Inc., based outside of St. Louis. Caleres has been instrumental in launching Sam Edelman as a lifestyle brand with handbags, outerwear, activewear, intimates, socks, dresses, swimwear and sunglasses.
