Rebecca Taylor Takes a Bow on Robertson
Rebecca Taylor has been primarily known as a boutique brand in California, and the New York–based label is scheduled to open its first West Coast boutique on Nov. 18.
The contemporary label is debuting its 1,800-square-foot store at 107 S. Robertson Blvd. in Los Angeles, which was formerly the site of the AG Adriano Goldschmied boutique and a pop-up shop for Gap Kids.
Rebecca Taylor is scheduled to open another California boutique, on Dec. 9, at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. The label also is scouting locations in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Boston, London and Paris, designer Rebecca Taylor said.
The higher profile is the result of Kellwood Co. acquiring the Rebecca Taylor brand in January. Kellwood runs a portfolio of other brands, including Vince, David Meister and BlkDnm, a new collaboration with Johan Lindeberg that launched in February. Kellwood’s Lamb & Flag label will be opening two Southern California stores in December. Kellwood is owned by private-investment firm Sun Capital Partners Inc.
One of the top benefits of being acquired by Kellwood is the larger company is responsible for all of Taylor’s back-office operations, including building an e-commerce presence. However, Kellwood leaves all of the label’s creative decisions and design tasks to Taylor, the designer said.
The Kellwood relationship also will offer a lot more opportunity for growth. “People thought we were a lot bigger than we actually are,” she said of the label’s independent origins. “We started with little capital, and we were only able to grow incrementally. But it always was a lifestyle brand, and there is a lot of potential to explore,” she said. Rebecca Taylor offers branded handbags and footwear, but it also might debut categories for eveningwear, fragrance and children’s clothing.
The majority of Rebecca Taylor’s business will remain wholesale, she said. “We’d have to open so many boutiques to capture the wholesale audience,” she said.
