Three Divisions for Barbara Lesser

Barbara Lesser Fibers said it will divide its eponymous line into three separate collections as it manages the growth of its comprehensive offerings for casual jeans and T-shirts.

The Los Angeles company said it will have three divisions: jeans, T-shirts and dressed-up apparel that is suitable for the office. The jeans and T-shirts will continue to sell under the label Barbara Lesser Fibers. The dressier pieces, ranging from coats and menswear-inspired trousers to novelty fabrics such as checks and pin stripes, will be marketed under the tag Barbara Lesser Studio.

“The line has gotten so developed and so big that it needed to be broken down and separated,” said Lesser, who designs the clothing and owns the company with her husband, Mark. The three segments also will allow the company to target competing specialty stores.

Barbara Lesser Fibers’ wholesale prices run from $56 to $79 for jeans and from $24 to $53 for T-shirts. Barbara Lesser Studio pieces wholesale from $39 for cropped pants to $120 for a silk brocade coat.

Lesser said the company also redesigned its hangtags and packaging, which feature a bright-red hue mixed with leather and grommets.

The company has gone through various stages since it started selling organic cotton apparel in 1991. It made a name for itself in the late ’90s with its dresses. But the dress business is cyclical. After realizing that women would not be wearing a lot of dresses, Lesser said the company segued into pants and sportswear in 1997. It introduced denim during the past five years. Lesser declined to disclose wholesale volume but said sales run into the millions in the double digits.

—Khanh T.L. Tran