With her cartwheel-turning runway finales and baby-doll blonde hair, Betsey Johnson effuses a girlish spirit. So it’s fitting that she is adding children’s wear this fall.
This is a first for the designer, who launched her label in 1978. Through an ongoing licensing deal with G&W Industries, Betsey Johnson Kids will offer a range of sportswear for toddlers through preteens. With a wink at Johnson’s kitschy style, the collection will include moto and varsity-style jackets, peplum sweaters, printed leggings, dresses, flip skirts, floral-printed hoodies and jogger sets.
Designed for girls, there will be two- and three-piece sets for sizes 2 to 6, and separates will be offered in sizes 7 to 16. The collection will feature such accents as faux fur, ruffles, sequins, tulle, Neoprene, appliques and quilting, as well as an assortment of prints including hearts, animals, lips and florals. The girls’ wear will build upon the designer’s girls’ accessories collection and the Capezio dancewear line that Johnson launched earlier this month.
For the past decade, she has steadily added such categories as intimates, handbags and leather goods, footwear, bridal, kids’, dresses, watches, jewelry, eyewear, swimwear, legwear, outerwear, luggage, fragrance, activewear and home. Betsey Johnson’s current distribution is in 2,000-plus specialty stores in the U.S. and abroad.
Johnson, who recently relocated to the West Coast with her daughter Lulu and two granddaughters, said, “I’m so excited to share my new kid’s wear collection, which includes a punch of punk along with my signature roses and girly smooches. It’s something I’ve been dying to do, especially since my grandkiddos were born.”
With wholesale prices ranging from $21 through $46.50, Betsey Johnson Kids is geared toward girls between the ages of two and 16. It will launch at Lord & Taylor and via the designer’s Web site. Based in New York, G&W Industries is a 35-year-old company that also produces children’s wear under the Little Lass, Girls Rule and Boys Rock labels.