Kathy Ireland Teams Up With Bagatelle for Outerwear, Dresses and Denim
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Bagatelle International has entered a multiyear licensing agreement with Kathy Ireland Worldwide.
Under this agreement, Ireland and her creative team at Kathy Ireland Worldwide will design and collaborate with the Bagatelle creative team on the Kathy Ireland collection. The collection will include outerwear, dresses and denim and will be presented to retailers across the U.S. The first outerwear line will hit retailers in fall 2022, and the denim and dresses will roll out in spring 2023.
More from WWD
Kathy Ireland Worldwide, which is solely owned by Ireland, generated retail sales of $3.1 billion in 2021, and License Global Magazine named Kathy Ireland Worldwide the 15th most successful worldwide licensed brand. Her products range from fashion, fine jewelry, intimate apparel, accessories and skin care to weddings, hospitality and resorts, furniture, flooring, cookware, appliances, insurance, real estate, recreation and adventure.
“We’ve always been on the hunt for great brand names as we’ve been growing our portfolio of brands, whether we’re acquiring them or licensing them,” said Jamie Litvack, president of Bagatelle. “Coming out of the pandemic, there’s white space there, and retail needs good relevant names. We’ve always been a fan and she’s a fashion supermodel and mom and one of the biggest women’s entrepreneurs of our time, and supports so many great causes,” he said.
Litvack said he plans to target these lines to department stores such as Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Hudson’s Bay, and will do exclusive styles curated for the HSN customer. Earlier in her career, Ireland has a big licensing deal with Kmart that lasted until 2003.
For the Kathy Ireland collections, retail prices on outerwear will range from $149 to $249; dresses will be $150 to $250, and denim will go from $99 to $139.
Outerwear, for example, will include blazers, jackets, sportswear jackets, and toppers in tweeds, novelties, brocades and faux fur. Dresses, which are still being designed, will include special occasion dresses, gowns, desk-to-dinner dresses and date night dresses. Fabrics include crepe, stretch satins, metallic knits and chiffons. The denim will include stretch and coated denim, as well as prints and novelties.
“The clothes are everything we imagined,” said Ireland, whose title is chief executive officer of Kathy Ireland Worldwide. “Michael [Litvack] and Jamie [Litvack] are gentlemen of quality, taste and an authentic understanding of our design dreams.”
Litvack, whose other brands are Avec Les Filles and Bagatelle Collection, said Ireland has a lot of input into the collection and gets involved in the creative process, the approvals, and the color directions. “She’s very big on jewelry, and Elizabeth Taylor was her mentor, so the hardware has a lot of inspiration from Old Hollywood,” he said.
Asked to describe the Kathy Ireland customer, Jamie Litvack said she’s a working woman and mom, ranging in age from 35 to 50. “She’s sophisticated and modern, but not afraid to show off her body. She wants to look pretty, but is not so edgy. Whether it’s a dress or coat, she puts it on and just feels glamorous, confident and cool,” he said. He added that the collections will be fashionable and glamorous, but at the same time, accessible. He said Ireland is trying to make it so everyone can wear it, “but you don’t have to be a supermodel to pull it off.”
Ireland, a supermodel in the ’80s and ’90s, appeared in 13 consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. In 1993, she founded the brand marketing company, Kathy Ireland Worldwide, at her kitchen table, starting with a pair of socks. Today, it’s the highest-ranking woman-owned licensing business in American history.
FOR MORE STORIES:
Kathy Ireland on Building a Multibillion Brand Under the Radar
Kathy Ireland Forges Swimwear Deal With Trunkettes
Jamie Litvack Named President of Bagatelle International
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
