Juicy Couture is a contemporary casual wear and dress clothing brand based in
Arleta, Los Angeles, California. It was founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela
Nash-Taylor in 1997 and was purchased by the Liz Claiborne fashion company. Juicy
Couture has turned into a global seller with their signature velour tracksuits
and other fashions that span clothing, handbags, shoes, intimates, swimwear,
fragrance, accessories, sunglasses, yoga and babywear.
History Juicy Couture was started by two friends
in 1995. Gela Nash and Pamela Skaist-Levy, both residing in Pacoima,
California, decided to create their own fashion label, Travis Jeans, selling
maternity pants. In 1996 the girls changed the name to Juicy Couture.
All Juicy Couture items are manufactured with the company signature logo: two
highland terriers holding a shield bearing three hearts and Love P&G. A
crown lies on top along with a Juicy Couture flowing banner .
From 1996, after establishing their company and needing to get public
attention for the brand, Nash and Levy started to send their completed designs
to celebrities. In 2001, the famous Juicy tracksuit was introduced and
custom designed for Madonna; and Madonna turned the velour tracksuit into a
trend. The public appearance of clothes by celebrities made the brand famous
almost instantly. Madonna was the first big break through celebrity endorsement
for the company. Later, in 2004, the velour tracksuit once again became very
popular among celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, and
Paris Hilton. Juicy Couture then became a brand known around the world for the
image of being the outfit of the "new money". Juicy Couture, which was a very
limited brand being available at very few locations until the late 2000s.
In 2003 Fifth & Pacific Companies, Inc. acquired the company. In 2010, Juicy
Couture tapped LeAnn Nealz as Chief Creative Officer and President to guide
the brand into its next phase of growth, while preserving the style. Best known
for their tracksuits to its status as a luxury icon.
An informed "guesstimate" put Juicy sales at about $200 million in one year.
Vogue noted the company's growing – even exploding – popularity, saying, "The
time may have come when Seventh Avenue's lofty vantage point suddenly seems less
relevant than the ground-level perspective of the designer as
consumer." Although the company hired consultant
Erin Fetherston to design a new collection of dresses to launch the
holiday season, retailers alleged that the designs were stale, on top of the
fit issues noted in October 2010. Many major retailers have either dropped
Juicy Couture clothing or cut back on orders for the fall season. WWD breaks
down the losses: "A spot check of stores revealed that Saks Fifth Avenue dropped
the Juicy Couture line at the New York flagship for fall; Lord & Taylor dropped
the brand from all of its doors; Bloomingdale's flagship cut way back on
its Juicy department on the contemporary floor; Nordstrom passed on the clothing
line for fall; Bergdorf Goodman no longer carries the line, and Neiman
Marcus has dropped the line in several stores, such as White Plains, N.Y. and
Beverly Hills." On November 1, 2010, LeAnn Nealz was
named President and Chief Creative Officer. In this position, she would be
responsible for all creative elements of the business including product design,
marketing and store design and will report to Edgar Huber, chief executive
officer of Juicy Couture. Former Vogue accessories director Michelle Sanders
was also hired to handle new licenses for jewelry, handbags and swimwear.
= Sale= On October 7, 2013, Fifth & Pacific,
Inc. announced that they would sell Juicy Couture to Authentic Brands Group
for $195 million. In June 2014 the company was reported to be closing all
its stores in the United States, with the closure expected by the end of June
2015. The company's 60 international stores would remain operating. In
September of 2014 Juicy Couture began being sold in Kohl's in the United
States. References
External links Juicy Couture
Pamela Skaist-Levy & Gela Nash-Taylor at the Fashion Model Directory