New Contemporary Line Draws From Retro-Inspired Past
Freedom Brand has hit the ground running with its collection of “Vintage Americana.”
Owner and designer Alan Cohen launched the line of women’s vintage-inspired baseball and bomber jackets and coordinating leisurewear in June. Los Angeles stores such as H. Lorenzo, Fred Segal Hollywood Trading Co. and Theodore placed orders before the start of the Fall II June market.
Cohen is well-versed in the businesses of vintage clothing and leather goods. From 1977 to 1983, he co-owned Ragtime Collection, which distributed vintage and used clothing to department stores in the United States. The company created satin reproductions of 1940s-style baseball jackets and World War II bomber jackets, which Cohen called “Retro Japan” jackets. When the popularity of satin declined, Cohen expanded into the leather business and manufactured the jackets for his new company, Alan Michael USA, which today manufactures an exclusive, contemporary line of leather and suede garments.
In creating Freedom Brand, Cohen was inspired by the “Retro Japan” jacket and his experience in the leather industry. The “Vintage Americana” collection includes baseball, bomber, jean and other retro-style jackets with coordinating bottoms in rayon-satin, suede, faux suede, nubuck, and aged, distressed leather. A Modal/Lycra group of tops and bottoms offered with and without contrasting piping, the Freedom Brand logo and Americana motifs also complements the line.
The new rayon-satin jackets use the same baseball and bomber body styles as the original “Retro Japan” jackets but update them in European rayon with a silk hand. The jackets are reversible and have screen-printed and hand-embroidered color-coordinating American images on each side. The images include map motifs, eagles, pinup girls and other Americana themes. The jackets are available with or without images and come in retro color combinations, such as orange/ green, green/gold and black/cream. Wholesale prices range from $110 to $145.
Coordinating bottoms with contrasting piping—including drawstring skirts, satin jeans, low-rise drawstring pants and a fully reversible drawstring pant in satin-to-satin and satin-to-knit fabrications—complement the rayon-satin jackets. Wholesale prices for the bottoms range from $44 to $74.
Wholesale prices for the suede and leather styles range from $240 to $325 for jackets and from $125 to $225 for skirts and jeans.
Wholesale prices for the coordinating Modal/Lycra group range from $16 to $26 for tops and from $29 to $42 for bottoms. Sizes run from XS to XL.
Freedom Brand Vice President of Sales and Licensing Gary Goldman—who has 35 years of manufacturing, designing, and licensing experience—said he and Cohen want to build Freedom Brand as a better sportswear brand and will target better retail stores and specialty stores. Goldman, Alan Cohen and Norm Cohen, Alan’s brother and Freedom Brand’s vice president of operations, plan to build a quality brand with the best fabrics and craftsmanship possible. They will focus first on the United States and Canada and then introduce the line to Europe, Asia, Australia and eventually Latin America. They also expect to license the brand in the future.
A men’s line, a women’s accessories line and a kids’ line are in the works, as well, Goldman said.
Freedom Brand is available at the Ginny Wong showroom in the California Market Center, suite B591. For more information, call (213) 622-9884.
