- Anthropologie on Monday transitioned Maeve from a private label to a stand-alone brand, including its own social media channels and stores, according to a Monday press release. The brand’s first retail concept will open in Raleigh, North Carolina, in October.
- Maeve currently has dedicated retail space inside Anthropologie’s stores and has turn out to be the top-searched brand on Anthropologie’s website over the past yr. Its product assortment “blends timeless silhouettes with modern details,” features plus, petite, tall and adaptive options, and targets a “multigenerational audience,” according to Anthropologie.
- To kick off the launch, Anthropologie is rolling out a sturdy marketing strategy. This includes an ad campaign across digital and physical channels, a Maeve catalog that will likely be shipped to top customers, a Substack newsletter, and an in-person event in New York City featuring a mock store preview and product unveilings.
As an owned brand, Maeve became a growth driver and developed a loyal customer base, which sowed the seeds for this transition, according to Anthropologie. Over the past yr, almost 2 million customers have shopped Maeve products and the brand has accrued greater than 10 million TikTok views, per the discharge.
“Its consistent performance, combined with our customers’ emotional connection to the brand, made this the suitable moment to evolve Maeve right into a stand-alone identity,” Anu Narayanan, president of girls’s and residential at Anthropologie Group, said in an announcement. “Our customers have helped shape Maeve into what it’s today and shown us again and again that the label holds a special place in each their wardrobes and their lives.”
Prior to introducing Maeve as a stand-alone brand, Anthropologie has expanded in other ways. In January, the retailer unveiled resortwear line Celandine, complete with swimwear, cover-ups, dresses, accessories and sweetness products. Two months later, Anthropologie partnered with Universal Standard to create a 13-piece collection, including shirts, jeans, a jumpsuit and dresses.
Those efforts are paying off, according to Frank Conforti, COO and co-president of parent company Urban Outfitters Inc. On an earnings call with analysts in May, Conforti noted that each brick-and-mortar and digital channels drove growth for Anthropologie and praised the segment’s product assortment.
“The team at Anthropologie continues to do a superb job with their strategy to expand their product offerings to fit their customers’ full lifestyle,” Conforti said, adding that the launch of Celandine had already “exceeded our expectations. Alongside Celandine, Daily Practice and the expanded assortment of intimates and loungewear are also seeing impressive growth, and we consider these could turn out to be significant categories in the longer term.”
Anthropologie’s net sales within the quarter rose 8.3% yr over yr, with comparable sales up 6.9%. Urban Outfitters Inc. reported a ten.7% jump in net sales for the quarter, to $1.3 billion.
Read the complete article here