California Apparel News

Silver Jeans Co. is in the midst of a rollout of retail stores, and, in November, it will open a boutique at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif.

“It’s a dream loft,” said Michael Silver, chief executive officer of Winnipeg, Canada–headquartered Silver Jeans Co., which made big investments in Southern California. The company opened a design office in downtown Los Angeles in February and also maintains a retail office in Burbank, Calif., and a marketing office in Laguna Beach, Calif.

The Silver Jeans store will be called a loft, and the label’s team designed it to be reminiscent of a loft with an industrial and a vintage feel. The Glendale Galleria boutique will be located in the upcoming Bloomingdale’s wing of the retail center. The Bloomingdale’s will be an anchor of the mall’s major renovation, which will be wrapping up this year.

The Galleria is one of five stores that Silver Jeans will be opening in the United States this year. In July, Silver Jeans, a division of Western Glove Works, a 92-year-old garment manufacturer, opened a store in Houston. In August, it opened a store in the Mall of America in Minnesota and, in September, a store in McAllen, Texas. Another boutique is scheduled to open Oct. 26 in Dallas. Silver hopes to open a fleet of 30 stores in the United States in the next five years.

The boutiques will offer an omni-channel service, where a consumer can purchase an item online and pick it up at a store. None of the stores will feature a cash wrap. Rather, retail workers will be equipped with mobile point-of-sales systems that are made by Island Pacific, a retail management software company with an office in Irvine, Calif.

All retail workers also will be equipped with some very old technology—measuring tape. All of the retail workers are trained in styling denim, and the old technology of the measuring tape will assist them in finding the best fits for consumers.

The Silver Jeans boutiques also will feature an 8-by-8-foot video wall, which will play indie music videos and Silver Jeans marketing videos. Another point of difference will be how clothing is handled at Silver Jeans. Jeans will be rolled up—not folded—to prevent creases in the clothing. When the jeans are purchased, they will be wrapped in paper, and the package and the paper will be fastened with a sticker with a Silver Jeans logo.

The stores will merchandise Silver Jeans–brand bottoms for men and women. The label’s printed T-shirts and hoodies will be available, too. The stores will offer some items exclusive to the stores such as scarves and small leather accessories. Retail price points will range from $30 to $80 for tops and $80 to $110 for bottoms. Silver said the price points are above moderate but below premium for the label’s clientele, which, he said, ranges from ages 16 to 60.