J.Lo goes after the mid-priced girlie market and replaces the waning JLO by Jennifer Lopez with the more fashiony justsweet line.
Just as her JLO by Jennifer Lopez is being yanked from department and specialty stores amid ongoing questions about whether she actually wears – or is even involved – in the brand she launched in 2001, Lopez is now launching its replacement: justsweet (and yes, it’s a single word – according to Lopez, "I am aware that it is supposed to be two words. But I like the sound of it as one word. It just flows").
The diffusion line of sportswear and dresses – ritzier big sister brand Sweetface is sold in department stores and speciality boutiques – will also include a fragrance (by Coty), shoes (Titan Industries has the licence), eyewear (the Safilo Group), outerwear (Herman Kay), timepieces (E. Gluck), and jewelry (Haskell Jewels).
To ensure maximum press coverage, print ads are scheduled for Vogue and Glamour, as well as a back-to-school fashion show so XXL, it won’t be held in New York’s Bryant Park along with the other Fashionweek shows.
"Oh, it will be big," Andrea Scoli, president of Sweetface Fashions Inc., recently told WWD. (The company makes brings in about $250 million at retail with JLO, three fragrances including Glow by JLO, and Lopez’s higher-end Sweetface brand. Currently, they have 17 freestanding stores, with another 20 planned to open this year.) "And if we have a different venue, we can really make the impact that we are looking to make."
With a lineup of sexy and ladylike dresses, tops, leather jackets, wool coats, printed hoodies and cropped cardigans with interesting buttons, justsweet is positioned to rake in more than $10 million at wholesale the first year. Priced between $11 to $89 at wholesale, it will be positioned as a high end junior sportswear line with a denim-centric focus.
"We really worked hard to get the fit right," says Lopez. "I know I drove the girls crazy, but everything had to fit perfectly. I think we were successful. These are jeans that you would pay a lot of money for from another company – these are $59 retail."
At a time when celeb brands like Jessica Simpson and House of Deréon by Beyoncé Knowles are not faring well at retail, Lopez is confident. "Five years ago, I had a lot to learn about this business," she notes. "And as I learned, I became more involved in the day-to-day. Now I am in the office all the time, and I have been since we did the fashion show [in February 2005]. I was there every single day, going over every tiny detail. As I got through the learning curve, I became more involved and will continue to be…I have a great team in place, and personally, I have learned a lot. I've learned to say no to some things so that I am freed up to do the things that I love to do," she notes. "Everyone has to learn and to grow, and I really believe that we are getting better while we are doing it." (via WWD)
