Her House by Paul Frank
Paul Frank Industries, a maker of young men’s and young women’s apparel and accessories in Costa Mesa, Calif., is producing Her House by Paul Frank, a line of hip young contemporary sportswear for women.
The launch of Her House is in response to the dilemma many juniors apparel makers face as their customers mature and grow away from the brand. Her House is for the Paul Frank customer who is a little bit older and has a slightly higher budget to spend on contemporary styles, said Paul Frank President and co-founder Ryan Heuser.
“As our juniors customer got older, we felt they were disconnected from our brand,” Heuser explained. “With Her House, we want to age our juniors customer up.”
With Her House, the company is departing from the fun and whimsical characters—such as Julius the monkey—that appear throughout the Paul Frank line.
Paul Frank Industries launched its signature line in 1999 and soon gained international brand recognition. The company hopes to achieve the same level of recognition for Her House. To do that, the company must temporarily rely on its namesake, Heuser said.
“Customers might see the line at a boutique or department store and not realize Paul Frank was capable of creating a contemporary collection,” he said. “Our approach is to introduce the line with a Paul Frank–branded hangtag just long enough for the customer to recognize the line as an independent brand.”
The line will have an edgy, yet modern feel with feminine details—from contrast ribbons and embroidery to the Her House logo, which has a fun, fanciful 1960s-era font over a Neapolitan-striped background.
With wholesale price points ranging from $33 to $110, the 12-piece collection includes a merino wool sheer-knit cap-sleeve top with an asymmetrical neckline, flower screen print and mohair embroidery; a French terry top with a raw-edged bateau neckline; a twill pin-striped straight-leg trouser with contrast inner pocketing and a low-rise waistband with contrast ribbon detail; and a mandarin-style cap-sleeve dress with front pocketing, a waist yoke and contrast pinstripe details. Delivery dates for Fall 2004 begin July 30 and run through Sept. 30.
The line will be designed and merchandised to correspond with certain pieces from Paul Frank’s accessories collection, Heuser said.
With first-year sales projections aimed at the $1 million mark, Her House will be sold at Paul Frank’s 14 retail boutiques; better department stores Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom; and specialty boutiques Barneys New York, Louis Boston and Villain’s Vault. The company plans to open about 100 accounts with domestic retailers for Fall ’04 and Holiday ’04 and expects to distribute the line globally for Spring ’05.
Paul Frank Industries will market the brand through ads in publications such as Metro.Pop and Anthem. The company typically does not feature live models in its ad campaigns, but it will for Her House. Heuser said the ads will illustrate the line’s feminine and mainstream looks.
For more information, call (949) 515-7950. —Claudia Figueroa
