Designer creating lines for Walmart - Arkansas Online

Walmart Inc. continues to up its fashion game by partnering with a top-drawer designer to oversee two of its in-house, "elevated" brands, the company said Tuesday.

Brandon Maxwell, designer for the likes of Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama and a judge on the television show "Project Runway," will serve as creative director for Walmart brands Scoop and Free Assembly.

The Bentonville-based retailer said Maxwell will oversee four seasonal collections each year for the brands. He'll have some influence in the Holiday 2021 collection, but his first full collection will be available in spring 2022.

Maxwell also will be involved in marketing and branding, the company said.

A Walmart spokeswoman said Maxwell "wears many hats" and will maintain his own personal brand and other activities in addition to his consulting role at Walmart.

"Brandon is a powerhouse in the fashion industry," said Denise Incandela, Walmart's executive vice president of apparel and private brands. "His designs are beautiful, youthful, timeless and expertly tailored."

"Our shared fashion values of accessibility and commitment to incredible design and quality make him an ideal partner for Walmart," Incandela said.

Along with its mix of private brands such as Time and Tru and Terra & Sky, Walmart offers four elevated brands. Besides Scoop and Free Assembly, the other two are Sofia Jeans by Sofia Vergara and Eloquii.

A Walmart spokeswoman defined its elevated brands as being more detailed and made of finer fabrics than the retailer's other private fashion brands, yet still accessibly priced.

Free Assembly, for example, uses high-quality organic cotton. The size-inclusive line includes modern fashion essentials for men and women "with a focus on thoughtful, simple design at an incredible value," the spokeswoman said.

Scoop, once a legendary boutique, got new life as an exclusive Walmart brand with more trendy, fashion-forward clothing for women. The line is also size-inclusive.

The retailer's fashion business has had its ups and downs over the last couple of decades. After pulling popular lines such as George, which is still available in the U.K., Walmart said it would focus its apparel business on everyday basics.

"Walmart has taken a lot of overhyped heat for past fashion forays," said Carol Spieckerman, a retail consultant and president of Spieckerman Retail. Then it swung too far the other way to basics, she said.

"It's time for Walmart to step out again, particularly as brick-and-mortar shopping begins to open up," Spieckerman said.

Walmart's fashion strategy has evolved just as the way customers shop has evolved, the spokeswoman said. As people grew more comfortable with e-commerce, the company found advantages in placing new fashion brands online.

"Walmart leverages its e-commerce business to test and learn, and then offers elevated and national brands in select stores across markets," the spokeswoman said. Using the "endless aisle" on Walmart.com, she said, "we can determine which apparel brands, styles and items shoppers want, and then move a curated assortment into Walmart stores to reach a wider set of customers."

While all four elevated brands are available online, Free Assembly is currently in 500 U.S. stores, she said. Scoop is in 250 stores, but plans are to increase that number. The Sofia jeans line is now in 1,000 stores, and Eloquii Elements just debuted this week with its spring collection in 100 stores, and will add another 100 stores with the release of the summer collection.

Company executives noted in last year's second-quarter earnings presentation that as customers spent more time at home, Walmart saw an increase in online apparel shopping with growth among women's, men's and children's clothing.

And at Walmart's annual meeting with investors last month, Walmart Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon said the company expects its e-commerce business to continue growing at a rapid pace. Walmart expects its online sales globally to top $100 billion over the next couple of years.

Spieckerman said that associating the word fashion with Walmart often "brings the naysayers out of the woodwork."

"That's unfortunate because Walmart has a clear fashion opportunity and it's great to see movement in that direction," Spieckerman said. "The partnership with Mr. Maxwell seems to be more comprehensive than the Target model, as he will be overseeing two private brands for Walmart, not just creating a capsule collection and heading for the door."

Walmart's approach will help ensure overall brand continuity and a clear point of view, Spieckerman said.

"Walmart has a well-timed opportunity to lay a fashion foundation that will give shoppers incentive to cross the aisle from grocery," Spieckerman said. "Building cross-category pathways on Walmart.com will be critical to brand success."

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