Victor Glemaud’s New Line, a Promotion at Sachin & Babi – WWD

VICTOR’S LAUNCH: Victor Glemaud will launch a new HSN exclusive label, VG Victor Glemaud.

Known for his signature knitwear, the size-inclusive collection will offer clothing in sizes XS to 3X. The line features knit sweaters and dresses that move and accentuate the figure.

“These are clothes that will bring people joy and put a smile on everyone’s face,” said Victor Glemaud. “That’s why it was important the new VG Victor Glemaud apparel line was accessible to all in order to spread joy to a wider audience — and HSN is the best partner to do that with.”

The line features bright bold colors and design elements such as whipstitching asymmetric hems, stripes, polka dots and color-blocked geometric designs, with all prices in the launch collection retailing for under $100.

“We’re eager to introduce our customers to Victor and his signature knitwear styles via his HSN exclusive label, VG Victor Glemaud,” said Bridget Love, general merchandise manager and vice president merchandising at HSN. “Victor designs for all shapes and sizes with bold prints and figure-flattering silhouettes that will help our customers refresh their wardrobes for the new year.”

The VG Victor Glemaud line is available to shop at HSN.com starting Thursday, and will launch live with an appearance by Glemaud on HSN and across their streaming platforms on Saturday. Glemaud will return in February with his second collection. It is an ongoing collaboration.

Glemaud, a Haitian American designer, launched his eponymous designer collection of statement knitwear in 2006. His collection is sold at such retailers as Saks Fifth Avenue, Revolve, Farfetch, Intermix and Shopbop.

In fall 2021, he also had a successful collaboration with Target. — LISA LOCKWOOD

TOP JOB: Sachin & Babi has promoted Amy Riordan to chief executive officer, a new role at the womenswear brand, which is oriented toward evening, special occasion and bridalwear.

Riordan, formerly head of marketing, will oversee the strategic direction of the brand, working closely with husband and wife team and founders Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia to grow the brand, which last spring reentered the bridal business.

Said Sachin Ahluwalia, “Amy’s contribution as head of marketing has been invaluable in the growth of the brand, particularly in the revamp of our e-commerce site and the development of strategies to support the strategic vision of the company.”

A spokeswoman added, “The CEO position is a new role within Sachin & Babi. Prior to Amy’s appointment, Sachin Ahluwalia ran all affairs as president and cofounder. His responsibilities will continue with Amy taking on a larger role in defining and executing the strategic direction of the brand.”

Riordan joined Sachin & Babi in 2019 as senior vice president of marketing, e-commerce and wholesale. Earlier in her career, Riordan was chief experience officer for Curete, a luxury women’s apparel start-up, where she was responsible for brand architecture, brand messaging, voice and brand positioning by channel. Before that, she was with Crabtree & Evelyn, Undies.com and Tanner Companies. — DAVID MOIN

NEW YEAR, NEW JOB: Merrell, the outerwear performance and lifestyle brand, has named Jessica Adler vice president of sales.

Adler will be responsible for Merrell’s U.S. wholesale strategy and join the brand’s senior leadership team, reporting to global brand president Chris Hufnagel.

“Jessica is a tremendous addition to the Merrell team. She brings a collaborative leadership approach and depth of retail experience that build strong customer partnerships and brand affinity and growth,” Hufnagel said. “Having a dynamic, accomplished leader like Jessica on our team will continue to help Merrell advance our vision for the brand and achieve our growth aspirations.”

Prior to joining Merrell, Adler spent 10 years in sales leadership roles with such brands as Levi, Strauss & Co., Psycho Bunny and Diesel USA. In these roles, she was responsible for leading strategic and transformational initiatives.

“Merrell is an outdoor brand loved by millions of people, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce it to even more future fans. I’m inspired by the inclusive culture and the brand vision rooted in simply getting more people outside and enjoying nature,” Adler said. “A key part of helping the brand accomplish this goal is ensuring we sell where they love to shop so that no matter when or where people are ready to step outdoors, we are in the right channels with the right innovative products for their adventures.” — L.L.

FEET FIRST: Fit technology solution provider Volumental is rolling out a new self-service version of the company’s AI-powered foot scanners. The company said it is specifically designed “for a shopper-driven in-store experience, customers can take their own foot measurements at the click of a button and receive the best-fitting footwear recommendations on their phones, making it easy to select and buy shoes.”

The launch, sometime this year, begins with a beta test with Under Armour at select retail stores in the sporting goods segment and in outlets and brand houses.

The value proposition for the technology has benefits for customers and retailers alike. To date, Volumental has scanned 36 million feet, and its data shows that foot scanning “improves the customer experience, with scanned shoppers purchasing at twice the rate of unscanned shoppers and generating 32.5 percent higher average transaction,” the company said in a statement, adding that the results also show a 25 percent reduction in returns.

Alper Aydemir, chief executive officer at Volumental, said the self-service scanners “will bring the same technology that specialty footwear retailers have enjoyed to many more retail segments.”

Aydemir said having worked with footwear retailers “across different store formats, service environments and staffing models, we realized the need for a self-service enabled shopping experience that is both innovative and easy to use for shoppers. This solution takes the guesswork out of the whole fitting experience and helps shoppers make smarter and faster purchase decisions with better-fit outcomes.”

Additionally, he said the personalized recommendations feature creates “a more engaging customer experience, allows retailers to manage inventory in a much smarter way and helps solve the issue of the huge returns facing the industry.”

The company said the self-service scanners will be in dedicated co-branded spaces in-store. “Touch screens will provide the customer with instructions on use as well as nearly instant personalized size recommendations on their perfect fitting brands and styles,” Volumental said. — ARTHUR ZACZKIEWICZ