Johnny Was has launched into swim in a move outlined a little over a year ago by its chief executive officer, who is looking to grow the business through new categories and store expansion.
Private equity firm Endeavour Capital a little more than three years ago invested in the business, which was founded in 1987, with the new capital fueling this latest growth strategy.
The latest example of this is Friday’s launch of swimwear for resort 2019. The offering will be rolled out to some 150 specialty stores in addition to Neiman Marcus, which is serving as the exclusive luxury major partner for the launch.
The 25-piece collection, which is being produced in-house rather than through a licensing firm, offers sizes up to 3X. That’s the same ceiling as the ready-to-wear line. Retail pricing ranges from $88 to $298.
The extension into swim was an obvious one for the brand, which has built a business around color, print and embroidery, said vice president of wholesale sales and merchandising Meg Doepke.
“Our customers have been asking us to do that for years and we did see a void in the market for colorful, flattering swimwear that fits real women, but doesn’t look too matronly,” Doepke went

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More…

A BEAR FOR WEAR: Resurgence of slow fashion and putting hands to work, and resting on nearly 100 years of heritage, Black Manufacturing is uniting its “union of makers” with its newest leather-jacket collaboration, colluding in the Pacific Northwest where the “outdoors and industrial collide.”
Fixed on quality and made-to-order utility, Black Bear Brand’s product selection includes leather jackets, heavyweight shirts of wool and tweed weave, knit accessories and collaborations such as that of the latest Black Bear Brand x Langlitz Leathers featuring Horween Leather Co. horsehide, tanned specially for the collaboration.
Since 1914, when George G. Black built the namesake manufacturing center to foster the growth of the label, the emphasis has been on providing product with purpose. And this “union of makers” is tethered to the Black family’s founding mission to dissolve competing sweatshop conditions and place emphasis on worker welfare and emotional resonance.
WWD spoke with Josh Sirlin, creative director, curator and principal at Black Manufacturing, the overseer of Black Bear Brand and its “union of makers,” which is essentially “sharing what’s behind the product” and “participating in the creating,” as Sirlin stated.
Softening production timelines, each leather jacket begins with a “personal consultation with each customer during the ordering process” to perfect sizing

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More…

HANDS-FREE SECURITY: So long card keys. Who needs passwords?
Researchers at Germany’s Hasso Platner Institute are finessing a technology that creates user profiles, based on how a person walks or takes their smartphone from a pocket. In the event a phone is stolen, sensors detect the tacit changes in behavior and lower the trust level so the device cannot be used by others to access the owner’s accounts. The more sensors that are used to gather behavioral information, the more reliable the trust values will be.
The technology is being used by the military in uniforms to secure phones and laptops without the use of passports, which are vulnerable to hacking and theft. The institute’s director and the technology’s developer, Christoph Meinel, said, “People in the Army need to have their hands free and need to be recognized automatically.”
He explained, “Behavior identification is better for security purposes than passwords or biometric data. For example, by having sensors in a smartphone, when people move you can analyze this movement data. From that, you can make decisions whether that’s the right person or the wrong person. You can also put sensors in a dress to have the option of identifying you. Doors would automatically open,

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More…

The Italian yard’s new 105-foot yacht continues Arcadia’s vision of a quiet, more efficient yacht with a masterful use of space.

Watch database, WatchAdvisor, is bringing its matchmaking services stateside.

From unique dining experiences to meals prepared by some of the nation’s best chefs, you’ll find plenty of holiday cheer in December.

Abercrombie & Kent’s Wings Over China itinerary may just be the ultimate way to tour the Middle Kingdom.

Written in 1954, the rare missive will be offered at Christie’s New York on December 4 and is expected to fetch in excess of $1 million.