In June it was officially announced that all Juicy Couture stores
would be closing and that the line’s signature velour lounge-wear would
be available for customers at the not-so-glamorous department store,
Kohl’s
. There is no doubt that many of us like
luxury and designer labels. In recent years, luxury labels have become
more obtainable, the reason being that many major fashion houses and designers
are collaborating with stores including the aforementioned Kohl’s,
Target, J.C. Penney and fast fashion chain, H&M. While designer
collaborations for a season or two won’t hurt (and might even help) the
image of a luxury label, for some brands, it can lead to a declining
reputation. Here are ten luxury labels that no one seems to want
anymore. Some of these labels are no longer on the market, while others
went mass market and stayed there. Either way, you probably fawned over
most of them at some point and then probably forgot they even existed,
until now.
10. Juicy Couture
In the early 2000’s, everyone wore Juicy Couture tracksuits, from
Amy Poehler as Regina’s mom in the movie Mean Girls, to Paris Hilton and
probably you, your mother or grandmother. Juicy Couture boutiques began
to pop up in exclusive shopping districts from Rodeo Drive to Madison
Avenue. The line was also sold at high-end department stores including
Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. Now, all of the Juicy Boutiques are
closing. Juicy inked a deal with Kohl’s department store and so now,
anyone could pick up this no-longer-coveted look. But fear not
fashionistas, Juicy will soon be re-launching its concept and opening up
new stores, which will sell only their high end luxury black label
line.
9. Izod
Like most people, you’re probably confusing Izod with Lacoste. Izod
is a low-end brand owned by Phillips Van Heusen that sells polos which
retail under $30, for a men’s shirt. Lacoste is and always was a higher
end company, which sells a similar men’s polo for around $100. What’s
the difference? A small crocodile logo on the breast. Between 1952-1993,
the brands collaborated to make Izod Lacoste shirts, which were
commonly dubbed “Izod Shirts.” However, by the 90’s, their popularity
began to decline and in 1995, the Izod brand was sold off to PVH. While
Lacoste maintained its image as a chic brand, the same cannot be said
about Izod.
8. Rock & Republic
Rock & Republic was founded in 2002. It became very popular when
Victoria Beckham collaborated with them and designed a line of
denim-studded jeans called VB Rocks. The brand was a celeb favorite,
with a-list fans like Charlize Theron and model, Molly Sims. At the
time, Rock and Republic jeans started at around $300 and were sold at
upscale department stores including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales and
Nordstrom. They also opened up boutiques in places like Robertson
Boulevard in Los Angeles. Perhaps they expanded too quickly because in
2011, the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. The line
was sold off to Kohl’s, who now sells the jeans for less than one third
of the original prices.
7. Pierre Cardin
Pierre Cardin is a name you have seen, heard of, and probably
wouldn’t be caught dead wearing. Cardin established his fashion house in
1950 in Paris, France. In 1954, he designed his iconic Bubble Dress,
which was considered extremely controversial at the time. In the 1960’s,
he began the practice of licensing, which most designers use today (you
didn’t think Calvin Klein actually designed socks, right?). Cardin’s
name has been on over eight hundred products, anything and everything
from clothes, perfume, frying pans, chocolate, ice buckets, sardines,
radiators and cigarettes. Not so glamorous. So, while his clothing, even
up until the 1980’s, was considered high end, Cardin’s name is so
diluted, while it used to be associated with luxury, it’s now associated
with junk.
6. Zac Posen
Unlike the other designers on this list, Zac Posen is a luxury label
that no one wants anymore, unless it’s his actual luxury label. While
Posen’s couture line continues to thrive, every effort Posen has made to
deviate from being high-end have failed. His lower priced line, Z Spoke
only lasted for three years, from 2010-2013. His 2010 collaboration
with Target received lukewarm reviews. Posen has tried and failed three
times to start a perfume collection. His most recent effort to go mass
market is a line of bridal wear for the very un-glamorous chain, David’s
Bridal, called Truly. The pieces cost between $850-$1350. Perhaps the
fourth time is the charm because so far, the line has received positive
reviews.
5. Isabel Toledo
Isabel Toledo is perhaps best known for designing the “Lemongrass”
dress that First Lady, Michelle Obama wore to her husband’s
inauguration. At the time, Toledo’s beautiful designs were sold at
high-end department stores, such as Barney’s New York. Even the
sophisticated New Yorker magazine profiled Mrs. Toledo and her husband,
Ruben, who work as a team. Now the retailers who carry her line are
anything but exclusive: Payless Shoe Source and Lane Bryant. In 2010,
she launched her shoe line at Payless, which also included bags and
clutches. In 2013, she became the first designer ever to collaborate
with a plus sized retailer. Toldeo’s twenty-five piece collection for
Lane Bryant is priced accordingly between $38-$179.
4. Neiman Marcus
For the 2013 Holiday season, Neiman Marcus collaborated with a brand
that is the exact opposite of itself, Target. Considering the designers
they were able to secure for the line, this collaboration should have
succeeded by default, but the line failed miserably. Tory Burch, Robert
Rodiguez, Alice + Olivia, Diane Von Furstenburg, Marc Jacobs, Marchesa,
Rag + Bone, Jason Wu and Oscar de la Renta, as well as several other
designers all contributed to this collection. Overpriced, poorly
executed and badly designed, this line went on sale nearly three weeks
after its debut. Even the cache of the Neiman’s name wasn’t enough to
tempt Target customers to buy this line.
3. Ed Hardy
Don Ed Hardy is a tattoo designer and artist. In 2004, Christian
Audiger, who was previously the head designer of Von Dutch, licensed the
rights to produce a clothing line based on Hardy’s art. He opened up Ed
Hardy stores everywhere from Hollywood to Quatar. Ed Hardy was
everywhere for approximately fifteen minutes. The market soon became
over-saturated with Ed Hardy clothing and junk from condoms and lighters
to hair flatirons. When it first became popular, many celebs were fans
of the line, including Fergie and Shawn Johnson. However, when Audiger
became friends with Jon & Kate Plus Eight star, Jon Gosselin, the
line’s cool factor apparently crashed. By 2010, the stores closed and
the line was finished. However, many of the licensed products are still
out there today, like air fresheners for your car to decorate your
dashboard.
2. Isaac Mizrahi
Isaac Mizrahi was a renowned designer in the 90’s, who was a
favorite of actresses Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie
Portman and Debra Messing. In 1995, his less expensive bridge line,
Is**c, with items costing between $275 and $850 was supposed to be the
next big thing, but it closed in 1997. In 2002, he created a successful
line for Target, which consisted of linens, shoes, clothing and pet
supplies. In 2008, Mizrahi shuttered that line and in 2009, launched a
collection for Liz Claiborne. The Liz Claiborne line failed, but Mizrahi
designed a successful line for QVC two years later, which is still
being sold today. He also has a line of affordable footwear and
clothing, available at Bloomingdales and Nordstom, but his days of being
a big name couturier are far gone.
1. Liz Lange
In 1999, Liz Lange was the designer to be seen in, if you were
pregnant. Previously a staff writer at Vogue, Lange designed her own
maternity line when she and her friends couldn’t find any maternity
clothing they liked. She opened up stores on Madison Avenue and in
Beverly Hills. The designs were very expensive for maternity at the
time, from $200 for a cotton shirt to $400 for a cashmere sweater. Lange
pioneered designer maternity wear. In 2002, she designed a line for
Target, which to this day, is the only maternity line they sell. In
2009, Lange forayed into the world of ready-to-wear, with a line for
HSN. Her exclusive shops have closed and while she is no longer a luxury
designer, Lange has made mothers of all budgets look chic.