Women Fashion Models and Designer

In the latest step by department stores to team up with high-end fashion designers, mid-brow retailer Kohl’s Corp. announced Thursday a union with Vera Wang beginning in the fall of 2007, known for her $10,000 wedding gowns, to create a new fashion and lifestyle brand. The Very Vera by Vera Wang brand is licensed by a subsidiary of Vera Wang Group to Kohl’s under an exclusive long-term agreement. Terms weren’t disclosed.
Wang told reporters on a conference call that “it has troubled” her for quite a while not to be able to offer her designs to all women.
“We have been quite elitist in terms of price points,” she said.

To be known as Very Vera, items such as sportswear, intimate apparel, leather handbags, accessories, jewelry, footwear, linens and towels will be sold exclusively in all Kohl`s stores and on Kohls.com, the companies said Thursday in a statement.
Prices have not been set for the collection, but it will be aimed at the top tier in Kohl’s women’s apparel offerings, according to Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s president. Currently, the highest priced women’s apparel collection at Kohl’s is Polo Ralph Lauren’s Chaps, which features $50 sweaters and $120 jackets.

Wang received the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s 2005 women’s wear designer of the year award. Her Vera Wang Group designs and distributes women’s bridal wear, while the Vera Wang Licensing LLC division has granted licenses for fragrance and beauty-related products.
Wang has worked in the fashion industry for 37 years. “I’ve really dedicated my life to dressing women,” she said. “The very fact that I’ve not been able to dress more people has troubled me for quite a while.”

“Vera Wang brings a wonderful feminine design sensibility to her work,” said Kohl’s president Kevin Mansell in a statement. “The Very Vera by Vera Wang premium collection is modern and addresses the fashion demands inherent in today’s feminine shopper.” Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) operates 817 stores in 45 states.
Kohl’s and other department stores are increasingly turning to big designer names to develop exclusive merchandise, following in the footsteps of discounter Target Corp., which has done well with its partnerships with Isaac Mizrahi and Cynthia Rowley.
J.C. Penney Co. teamed up with dress designer Nicole Miller, while Federated Department Stores Inc. announced a deal in April with home diva Martha Stewart.