Linq
After years of selling missy merchandise to department stores, Leonard Rabinowitz and Carole Little have downsized their latest venture to a more personal level.
The pair, who founded missy line Carole Little in 1974, launched contemporary knits line Linq late last year with an invigorated energy for the clothing business.
“By the time I sold [the Carole Little company to Levine Leichtman Capital Partners in 2000] I almost felt like I was an accountant dealing with accountants,” said Rabinowitz of his lengthy experience working with department store buyers. “It was all numbers; it was all deals. It was all programmed nine months ahead.”
These days, Rabinowitz speaks enthusiastically about working closer to season, receiving reorders and instant feedback from hands-on buyers who are on the floor selling to customers.
Little designed Linq’s basic knit tees with a wide spectrum of ensemble options in mind— from jeans to a ballroom skirt. And the neutral color palette appeals to women of all ages.
“I think that’s how women dress today instead of having casual clothes, work clothes, dressy clothes,” said Little. “I just love grabbing something out of my closet, putting it on and feeling good, whatever it is.”
Some of Linq’s best sellers at retail include a mini-ribbed cotton/Modal polo-style shirt and a three-quarter-sleeve V-neck shirt, both dressed up with a signature raw-edged silk trim along the shirt’s collar.
Linq is primarily composed of various tanks, short- and long-sleeve tees and zippered hoodies in yarn-dyed cotton/Modal mini-rib, cotton/Modal thermal, cotton/cashmere and French-terry fabrications. The line also includes knit dresses and a silk skirt with a cotton waistband.
Wholesale price points range from $22 for a cotton camisole to $63 for a cotton/cashmere sweatshirt.
Linq is a completely separate venture from the Carole Little label. (In 2002, Rabinowitz and Little partnered with Cherokee Inc. to buy back the Carole Little label and licensed the trademark to TJX Co. Inc., which sells the brand in such stores as Marshalls.) Linq is sold at Bloomingdale’s and On Sunset in Los Angeles, among others.
For more information on Linq, call the Gene Zuckerman showroom in the California Market Center, Suite C502, at (213) 623-2044. —Rhea Cortado
