Revolve Adds Activewear, Todd Snyder Launches Swim – WWD

REVOLVE TO EVOLVE: Revolve is releasing its own fashion label with the launch of its first in-house active lifestyle brand.

The fashion e-commerce site announced on Thursday the debut of WellBeing + BeingWell, its new activewear brand. The brand is launching with a 40-piece collection of activewear styles described as chic and functional.

Revolve’s WellBeing + BeingWell label is launching with two performance qualities, called LoungeWell and MoveWell. LoungeWell styles are made of a heather jersey material that’s said to be made for everyday leisure and low-impact workouts. MoveWell styles are made with a recycled interlock material that offers a medium support compression that’s suited for higher impact workouts.

Styles include sports bras, leggings, bike shorts, T-shirts and sweaters in a color palette of soft greens, pinks and blues.

WellBeing + BeingWell offers a size range of XXS to XL exclusively on Revolve’s website and at its Revolve Social Club in Los Angeles. Prices range from $58 to $128.

The collection comes after Revolve unveiled its Social Club earlier this month in Los Angeles. The revolve Social Club is a two-story retail shop that offers many of the brands carried on Revolve’s website, such as Cult Gaia, Song of Style and House of Harlow 1960. The space also offers lounge areas, coffee and sweets. — LAYLA ILCHI

INTO THE WATER: Count Todd Snyder as the latest company to take the plunge into swimwear.

The men’s designer has quietly unveiled his first foray into swimwear with “The Montauk,” a trunk that is similar to his top-selling Weekend Short that is being marketed as a sophisticated modern take on a classic surf short.

The short offers an elastic waist, a mesh liner, a draw cord with metal tips, two side pockets, a self-draining back pocket with a Velcro closure and a key holder. The inseam is five inches, which is expected to hit at mid-thigh. There will be 12 colors and patterns in the initial drop and prices range from $118 to $128.

“The decision to move into our own swimwear was an easy one after seeing the incredible demand for it at our East Hampton store and with swim collaborations with other brands over the years,” Snyder said. “Quality and fit is always essential and, most importantly, it needs to meet the customers’ needs. We want the brand to be a one-stop shop for the modern gentleman, so that when they come in to buy our Seasoft Linen shirt or sweater polos, they can now see swimwear.”

The swimwear launched quietly on the Todd Snyder’s e-commerce earlier this week.

The designer, who celebrated his 10th anniversary in business last year, has converted from his initial wholesale model to a direct-to-consumer one. He operates four stores in New York and Connecticut with a unit in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, expected to be added in the spring. The brand, which is known for its modern American menswear, was purchased by American Eagle Outfitters in 2015 for $115 million. — JEAN E. PALMIERI

NEW GIG: Good American has tapped Jamaal Layne as chief marketing officer.

The title is a new role for the brand, launched in Los Angeles in 2016 by Emma Grede and Khloé Kardashian.

“I’m the first one in the seat,” said Layne, who exited Calvin Klein in October of last year after about 10 months as executive vice president, global brand and North America marketing, as reported by WWD.

“Honestly, what drew me in was speaking to Emma, speaking to the team,” he went on. “She’s so passionate.”

Before joining Calvin Klein, Layne was head of entertainment marketing at Sonos Inc., the home audio company. He’s also held positions at Nike, Microsoft, Converse and Adidas. But his career began in publishing, working in marketing for magazines like Fader and Urb.

“Before lifestyle marketing was known as lifestyle marketing,” the executive said. “That’s where I learned how to connect brands to culture.”

Working at Calvin Klein, similar to his experience at Microsoft, gave him “the grounding of how to navigate a matrix, complex matrix, a really big organization,” he continued. “It’s cool to be in really big organizations, but as I see marketing and how it’s changing, you have got to be nimble and be able to move and pivot if something’s not working. And it’s just really hard to do that with a big corporation. It’s just really hard. It’s just a lot of people, and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s just a lot of cooks in the kitchen, and you’re all trying to make decisions, which is completely fine, but I knew from my heart that I needed to be in a smaller place where I could just be, like, ‘Is this working? If it’s not, then let’s pivot.’”

At Good American, he aims to connect with the younger consumer by “organically leaning into culture” and showcasing what it means to be an inclusive brand today, beyond featuring plus-size models.

“The groundwork has been laid, so what I want to do is continue to tell the stories that Good American has been telling their audience, but I also want to expand that audience,” Layne said.

“Why can’t we show up at Coachella in a cool way…or awards shows?” he added. “There’s just really interesting things that we can do.…Consumers like to identify with brands that actually identify with them and their ethos….That’s what I’m going to push us to do. Our ethos needs to align with our consumer. And I feel like we can do that, because our product does, right? We are one of few brands that can go from double zero to 32 plus. That’s incredible.” — RYMA CHIKHOUNE

BIG YEAR: This year marks a milestone anniversary for the International Talent Support contest, also known as ITS, which is turning 20 and finally gearing up to unveil ITS Arcademy, a multipurpose space founder Barbara Franchin had envisioned already pre-pandemic.

The competition’s award ceremony will take place in Trieste, Italy, on Sept. 9 and 10.

Returning to the IRL format forwent over the past two years due to the point pandemic, the talent search is opening applications Thursday until May 8. Fashion and design creatives are asked to submit their collections based on the “Ark of Creativity” theme, nodding to the many designers spotlighted by ITS over the years.

ITS prides itself on having supported talents spanning from Demna, currently creative director of Balenciaga; Matthieu Blazy, the freshly installed Bottega Veneta creative director, as well as London darling Richard Quinn and Iceberg’s James Long, among others.

“For 20 years, the ark of ITS has been navigating the seas of creativity recovering extraordinary projects from the waters, resisting with all its might the forces of decay,” Franchin said. “The body of works is precious because it represents our legacy for the future: pure creative seeds ready to germinate, bringing the magic of this heritage to new generations, through knowledge and inspiration.”

This year’s winners are expected to be unveiled in July ahead of the award ceremony. They will be rewarded with funds and mentorship programs offered by ITS’ longtime partners the OTB Group, Pitti Immagine, Swatch and Lotto, as well as eyewear giant Luxottica, which is joining the roster of sponsors this year for the first time.

The September ceremony will also mark the unveiling of ITS Arcademy, a space built on the extensive archives the talent search has amassed over 20 years and which include 14,000-plus portfolios, more than 1,000 fashion pieces and dozens of accessories and jewels. In addition to the exhibiting spaces, ITS Arcademy will host workshops, educational and training activities involving former finalists, winners and jurors.

The sprawling headquarters covering 7,000 square feet were originally supposed to be unveiled in 2020, before the pandemic scuppered the plans.

Celebrating the milestone, Franchin called on famed French fashion historian Olivier Saillard to curate the seminal exhibition, titled “La Prima Mostra,” or “The First Exhibition” in English, based on the talent search’s archives.

Saillard touted Franchin’s and her team’s curatorial approach to holding an archive for two decades, which “will testify to the future the enormous vitality of contemporary creativity in fashion. It is our responsibility to stage it, to present it with respect for the talent of each creator.”

He said the exhibit will be centered on “an introspective journey that invites each of us to the precious discovery of each of the authors,” marking a different approach for him compared to previous shows he has curated on the established couturiers and creators of the 20th and 21st centuries. — MARTINO CARRERA