Lady LUX

Adam Lippes will be unveiling a new collection on HSN in September: Love Adam is inspired by his signature line, but more affordably priced at around $55 to $400. Now that Kellwood Co. owns his brand, Lippes is seeking to widen his demographic base and advance his global business, reported WWD.

“(The line is) geared towards a woman who is living a different lifestyle,” Lippes said to WWD. “It’s certainly more casual. It’s not a redux of our greatest hits in cheaper fabrics.”

The new collection will offer a range of styles, from twill jackets to a Dolman dress and faux fur coats.

“Adam appeals to a woman who wants beautifully tailored clothes, in fresh new colors and silhouettes without looking fussy,” John Bosco, senior vice president of apparel, accessories and jewelry for HSN, explained.

Lippes knows all about reaching a wider audience. His collaboration with Spanish retailer Mango showed him what extending your brand can accomplish.

“I was amazed by the reach that it gave my brand and the fact that good-looking, well-made clothes didn’t need to be crazy-expensive if you have the volume,” Lippes said. “I got letters and e-mails from customers all over the world, so we started thinking about how we can achieve something like this here in the U.S.”

That’s when he landed on the idea of capitalizing on home shopping.

Bosco reported this is only the beginning for the two’s partnership. “We expect his collection to expand, as we believe he will resonate with our customers as he shares his unique pieces, as well as the stories and inspiration behind his designs,” he maintained, declining to reveal sales projections.

Now that Kellwood is in charge of his label, Lippes has been engaged in a number of new ventures, including expanding the main line to more stores and opening a pop-up shop in SoHo in September – which he hopes will spark a permanent shop. Business is going well for Lippes: He expects to hit $20 million in wholesale sales this year, with even more big plans for his future.

“We are focusing more on international starting in the spring, but already have great accounts like Harrods, Net-a-porter.com, Brown’s and Lane Crawford,” Lippes said. “We are also really growing our U.S. business. We are in 15 doors of Saks, which we launched just this year, and at Bloomingdale’s and Bergdorf Goodman. We don’t want to be everywhere and Kellwood really believes in the freestanding model. I think in the next few years, we will have a significant number of stores.”

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