New Collection, Lela Rose for Payless, to be Unveiled on the Runway at New
York Fashion Week in Feb., in Stores Fall '07; New Alliance Key to Payless
Mission to Democratize Fashion, Design in Footwear, Accessories
NEW YORK, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Payless ShoeSource announced today
that it has signed a deal with fashion designer Lela Rose to create the
Lela Rose for Payless collection, a line of original footwear and accessory
designs to be unveiled on the runway at Lela Rose's show at New York
Fashion Week, held at Bryant Park in Feb., and available exclusively in
Payless stores next fall.
The Lela Rose for Payless collection will launch in stores with the
fall '07 collection, which is expected to be available in about 400 Payless
stores and on Payless.com in the Sept '07 timeframe. The contract also
includes a Holiday '07 Lela Rose for Payless collection designed by Rose
and expected in stores in Nov. '07. Both seasonal lines are expected to
include footwear, handbags and other accessories.
Rose joins Laura Poretzky as a Payless designer partner -- select
fashion designers that create designer footwear and accessory collections
featuring the latest runway looks, which Payless brings to its stores at
value prices. Payless' designer collections are the most broadly
distributed designer footwear lines available in the U.S. today. The
designer partner program is a key strategy in Payless' overall mission to
democratize fashion and design in the footwear and accessories category to
inspire fun fashion possibilities for the family.
"We are thrilled to add Lela Rose as our designer partner and to
collaborate with her to bring her unique style and design sense to the 2007
Fall and Holiday seasons," said Matt Rubel, chief executive officer of
Payless ShoeSource. "Lela is a tremendous talent and has a truly unique
view of American fashion. Her ready-to-wear label has a national and
international retail presence and a strong following by celebrities and
other well-known women who adore the casual luxury of her clothing. She has
a focus on beautiful, hand finished design with strong material interest,
and we look forward to celebrating her design esthetic and bringing it to
women across America with the Lela Rose for Payless collections available
only at Payless."
Lela Rose designs ready-to-wear apparel under the Lela Rose label,
which is sold in more than 70 specialty stores nationwide, as well as
Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales and
internationally in Canada, France, Italy, Russia, Taiwan and Japan. Lela
and Payless first teamed up in Sept. 2005 when Payless made its first steps
on the fashion runway at the Lela Rose show at New York Fashion Week. Lela
designed that runway collection; Payless created and provided the shoes for
the runway show. The forthcoming Lela Rose for Payless fall '07 collection
will be the first shoes designed by Rose and available at retail stores.
"Every woman knows that a good shoe is hard to find -- especially one
that is affordable with impeccable quality and design," said Lela Rose.
"That's the goal of this alliance. With my level of design, combined with
Payless' expertise on how to commercialize the design with great quality
and at a great
price, we'll do just that. I am truly excited to bring my designs to
more and more women through this arrangement."
Payless expects to be at New York Fashion Week in Feb. with both
designer partners -- Laura Poretzky at the Abaete show and Lela Rose at the
Lela Rose show -- to unveil the fall '07 Payless Designer Collections. Each
collection will be unique and reflective of each designer's signature
style: Rose's strong focus on "classic with a twist" and Poretzky's
"American international," drawing from her rich international experiences
living in Brazil, France and New York.
"We will continue to platform great young design talent," explained
Rubel. "We must bring their creativity to the broadest audience. It is a
celebration or their talent and of our customers."
Payless ShoeSource, Inc., the largest specialty family footwear
retailer in the Western Hemisphere, is dedicated to democratizing fashion
and design in footwear and accessories to inspire fun fashion possibilities
for the family. As of the end of the third quarter 2006, the Company
operated a total of 4,574 stores. In addition, customers can buy shoes over
the Internet through Payless.com(R) at http://www.payless.com.
Lela Rose is a Texas native and 1993 graduate of the Parson's School of
Design. She worked at Christian Francis Roth as Design Assistant and soon
after with Richard Tyler as Design Assistant and Fabric Buyer. In 1996,
Rose's vision and passion compelled her to create her signature
ready-to-wear collection, Lela Rose, with studio headquarters in New York
City. Through intricately designed and finely detailed separates, dresses
and jackets, Rose has established herself as a renowned designer. Earlier
this year, Rose also launched a wedding collection focused on pairing
unconventional fabrics and techniques -- a trademark of the designer. Rose
is rounding out her offering with the designer footwear and accessory
collection, Lela Rose for Payless.
SOURCE Payless ShoeSource
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Related links:
http://www.payless.com
CONTACT:
Payless Media: Mardi Larson, +1-612-928-0202,
mardilarson@aol.com, or Lela Rose Media: Sidney Prawatyotin,
+1-212-925-7200, Sidney@publicpr.net
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