EXCLUSIVE: With Sofia Richie Grainge On Board, Solid & Striped Dives Into New Era
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Solid & Striped is entering its luxury lifestyle era with a little help from Sofia Richie Grainge.
Richie Grainge has codesigned and art directed the brand’s spring 2024 ready-to-wear, swim and cover-ups collection — called Solid & Striped Spring 2024 by Sofia Richie Grainge — which launched Thursday, in tandem with the launch of Solid & Striped’s revamped website. It features modern and elevated separates and dresses, sophisticated swimwear and plush knitwear and is part of Solid & Stripes larger plan to rebrand from a luxury swim and resortwear label fully into a full-fledged lifestyle player.
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The brand had dipped its toes into activewear, accessories and ready-to-wear before, but chief executive officer Elissa Skala Bromer told WWD her objective has been to rebrand and lean into lifestyle more fully.
“I got really lucky because of being able to have a very strong supply chain, we were able to play in many different categories really quickly and really have expert talent. Sofia has an amazing eye — it’s youthful but yet she speaks to all ages. She’s able to cross over, which very few people can. It’s not trendy, but is actually a true lifestyle and is elegant, joyful — part of our DNA now,” Skala Bromer said.
The spring 2024 collection launched exclusively on the brand’s website Thursday and will with Moda Operandi on Friday.
Skala Bromer and Chris Burch, majority owner of Solid & Striped, said the rebranded line was well received during market appointments. Eventually, the Richie Grainge-designed pieces will head into Bloomingdale’s (59th Street in New York and online), Shopbop, Liberty London, neimanmarcus.com and Fred Segal (in the Los Angeles locations) starting March 15.
“We’ve had a flood of new subscribers; the website’s been redone, and the entire DNA of the brand has been redone — I couldn’t be more grateful to be in this spot today,” Skala Bromer said.
“As we rebranded Solid & Striped, we wanted to find someone that was extraordinary. Sofia is not only elegant, but is a wonderful person; I think she really understands the kind of elegant customer and the culture of today. We needed somebody that had designed talent, had an eye and had a level of sophistication to work with our team to build what we think is an extraordinary collection and a collaboration. Her talent is overwhelming, and I think the collection is an amazing reflection of that,” Burch said.
Burch said the collaborative design experience was “very much of a give and take collaboration.” Throughout the process, Richie Grainge would come up with design ideas that the Solid & Striped team would execute, working hand-in-hand on color, concept and overall aesthetic to achieve her elegant, high taste level across the Solid & Striped ready-to-wear, cover-ups and swimwear.
“I have really loved this project and come to love being behind the scenes in all aspects,” Richie Grainge said. “I have enjoyed the process of making these garments starting from sketches, moving to sketch review and sampling all the way through to the end result and seeing the campaign come to life.”
In addition, Richie Grainge recommended the Solid & Striped team to consulting agency Invisible Dynamics, whom they ended up working with for the rebrand.
High-quality fabrics and “extraordinarily reachable” price-points (the line ranges from $98 to $798) were key to both Solid & Striped and Richie Grainge, as seen through the collection’s new Cady leisure suiting (a chic sleeveless tunic and trousers); debut outerwear (an Italian cotton twill trenchcoat) and enzyme-washed cotton twill trousers. In addition, new developments expanded into a cashmere program, as seen via an array of sunglow yellow, ecru, black, sand and deep red jumpers that sit alongside the brand’s key program of viscose knits (said to be 35 percent of the business, and its opening price point).
Throughout the line, customers will be able to feel Richie Grainge’s effortlessly luxe look in sophisticated swimwear, like an asymmetrical one-shoulder, high-leg maillot with new custom hardware. In addition to ditsy florals and an adorable mini dachshund print (a nod to Richie Grainge’s dog, as seen on dresses and swimwear), the collection also features details such as side slits and cutout details with nods to the Richie Grainge’s inspirations of Art Nouveau and the landscapes of Montecito, Calif., where the campaign was also shot.
Following Thursday’s spring 2024 collection launch, Solid & Striped will be opening the doors to its New York pop-up on March 9. Prior to the new Prince Street location in SoHo, the brand closed it NoHo store a month ago to shift directions and prepare for the pop-up.
“It will house the collection and introduce the rebranding. The key is to show the customer not only what we were able to do with Sofia — because Sofia did a lot of the work, she worked super well with the team to learn the process, be part of it, and act as our creative director in this relaunch and first collaboration — but also the execution in the store,” Skala Bromer said of the 900-square-foot space, which she described as a “jewel box.”
The store will occasionally close for events and host personal shopping sessions for groups while creating a concierge service to help customers feel special and elegant.
Both Burch and Skala Bromer said they envision that the rebrand will set Solid & Striped on a growth path for the next 10 to 20 years.
“We look at swim as it’s always going to be there, but I think we’re going to take some market share. I’m super excited by the aesthetic of where we’re going. It’s very simple and easy but has the flair of Solid & Striped, giving the customer great confidence at great value,” Skala Bromer said, adding that while the spring collection, envisioned in collaboration with Richie Grainge, is the kick-off to the brand’s new era, it’s also the brand’s vision of the future. This future will include four collections a year, possible future collaborations and more retail activations.
“We are in the apparel business. We all have experience; we have an incredible team and thanks to Chris, we have an incredible back end and sourcing and supply chain. We have the perfect situation to be able to get things done. We have great talent, and we’re moving forward,” she said.
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