MILWAUKEE – Kohl’s Corp. plans to add more designer appeal to its mid-level retail stores with the launch of clothing branded with the Elle magazine name.
The collection will be sold in 300 stores and online this spring and in all stores by 2008, Kohl’s announced earlier this week.
The retailer, which opened local outlets in Marysville and Lynnwood last year, announced the exclusive, multiyear licensing agreement jointly with Lagardere Active Media Licensing, a division of the company that publishes Elle magazine.
The clothing will feature trendy items such as knit and woven tops, skirts, dresses, and denim and twill bottoms. Prices will be about $40 for dresses and $30 for jackets. Kohl’s will develop, distribute and market the products, working with Lagardere’s Paris-based licensing division, the companies said.
Pieces will be brought to market faster than normal in an effort to keep up with trends, Kohl’s president Kevin Mansell said in a news release. Clothes will get to stores three or four months after they’re designed – half the time it normally takes for fashion to reach customers, spokeswoman Vicki Shamion said.
Kohl’s, based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., announced at an analyst conference in October that it hoped to shorten the time it takes to get clothes into stores. Some brands, such as Kohl’s private labels So, apt. 9 and Urban Pipeline, already move into stores in about three months, Shamion said.
Elle is the world’s largest fashion magazine. The company has 39 editions worldwide and sells licensed products in 80 countries. Elle also has 250 freestanding stores. The magazine’s U.S. edition reaches 4.9 million readers monthly, the firms said.
“With consistent double-digit growth in readership, Elle magazine is one of the most recognized women’s brands in publishing, and we are confident that this brand will resonate with young, hip shoppers,” Mansell said.
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