EXCLUSIVE — Express x Negin Mirsalehi Collection Debuts Online
Express Inc. is editing its closet.
And it’s starting by adding pieces co-designed by influencer Negin Mirsalehi.
More from WWD
National Retail Federation Plans 'Fight Retail Crime Day' in Washington, D.C.
Stronger-than-expected Job Market Complicates Picture for Retail
The Express x Negin Mirsalehi collection lands on express.com and select stores on Thursday, making good on chief executive officer Timothy Baxter’s promise last month to update the style assortment — and hopefully boost sales.
“This is 100 percent part of that effort,” Patrice Croci, vice president of brand and performance marketing at Express, told WWD. “Not only with our own designs and our own aesthetic, but also leveraging influencers, fashion stylists, celebrities, faces of the brand to also help design collections.”
Baxter told analysts during last month’s conference call that Express — after a disappointing quarter where both top and bottom lines fell — would be making adjusts to the product line.
“We’ve had too much depth in older key items and not enough breadth in style diversity,” Baxter said.
Shares of the specialty apparel and accessories retailer are down about 80 percent year-over-year. And while the stock surged momentarily after last month’s quarterly earnings report, the company has been struggling to improve sales. (Shares of the firm closed down 2.5 percent to $1.99 Wednesday.)
Baxter promised new colors, fabrics, prints and silhouettes.
The Mirsalehi collection consists of about 50 pieces, including faux leather looks, a snakeskin pencil skirt, boyfriend blazer, sweetheart neck sweater and wide-leg jumpsuits.
“It’s bold prints, exotic patterns and timeless silhouettes from Negin’s point of view,” Croci said. “It can be mixed and matched. It can be dressed up. It can be dressed down. It’s really versatile.”
Courtesy
The collection also marks Mirsalehi’s first co-designed collection.
“I was really happy about the freedom they gave me,” the Amsterdam native said of the collaboration that was inspired by her love of travel. “I got the freedom to express my own style. It was really up to me which colors I wanted, which fabrics I wanted, what designs I wanted.”
Other Express collections this year include Olivia Culpo and Rocky Barnes. Croci said the influencer-led design collections are something Express only started this year, but are an important part of the strategy to retain existing customers while attracting new ones to the brand.
“It is so important,” Croci explained. “Yes, it is mass and it’s become a part of how a lot of fashion retailers do business. But that is because our customer, both our guy and our girl, are seeking inspiration from all layers of their lives.
“It will still continue to be part of our strategy,” she said. “In this day and age, it can’t just be about us talking to our consumers, we really want to leverage the collaborations with other influencers and who they stand for.”
Courtesy
The executive was tight-lipped on who future influencers would be, but said the company is attracted to people who are “entrepreneurial in mind-set. They know their passion. They’re a brand within themselves.”
People like Mirsalehi. The influencer and YouTube star has 5.5 million followers on Instagram and had previously worked on projects with brands like Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Gucci. She’s also the cofounder of Gisou hair.
Courtesy
This weekend, Mirsalehi will open a sustainable pop-up for her hair-care brand, Gisou, at a Papaya Dog in Greenwich Village. The pop-up, which will feature a refill station where customers can re-up on Gisou product at a discounted price, comes after the influencer shared a sustainability promise with her followers in which she pledged to use more biodegradable materials in her products and packaging.
The collection is available in sizes 00-18, ranging in prices from around $40 to $178. The limited-edition collection will be available online and approximately 225 stores nationwide.
Mirsalehi will host a panel session Thursday morning to kick off the launch and New York Fashion Week with reality television personality Tan France.
“The collection makes me feel confident yet comfortable,” Mirsalehi said. “At the same time, it has the right quality and the right fit.”
Best of WWD
