Sue Wong Plans to Hit 'Big Apple'
Los Angeles–based eveningwear designer Sue Wong has announced the opening of her first New York showroom and the addition of two new sales executives to her team.
The Sue Wong Showroom opens Sept. 15 at 525 7th Ave. Adding it is a calculated business move for the company, she said.
“We want to establish two major hubs of sales distribution on a corporate level—one here and one in New York,” Wong explained. “Our base of sales will be out of New York. It’s a regional outpost. Most of my major retailers are in and out of there on a near-constant basis, and a lot of major retailers are based there.”
A New York sales base will also lend the brand more visibility and recognition with international retailers, she said.
Sue Wong, known for its embellished evening gowns, has reached $60 million in annual retail sales and is sold in 23 foreign markets. Wong said she expected the New York showroom would help push the brand beyond $100 million in sales.
“We are poising ourselves to do a lot more business,” she said. “We have done tremendously well out of the Los Angeles showroom, but with the New York presence, we should be able to double our business.”
To help achieve this goal, Wong has brought on two new executives to help steer sales and grow the brand on a global level.
Billy Weiss, a former collaborator of Wong’s, has joined the company as vice president. Weiss will focus on sales analysis and product strategy. Kim Koolery, formerly of Tadashi, joins as vice president of sales. She will work out of the brand’s new East Coast showroom, overseeing Sue Wong’s department store and specialty-store accounts. —Erin Barajas
