Kleinfeld Bridal Says Yes to Amazon for Fashion Jewelry
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Generations of jittery brides know Kleinfeld as the store that solidified their wedding day style, and millions more recognize it as the setting for TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress”
After 22-plus seasons of the reality show and more than 70 years in business, the New York City retailer is launching its first jewelry line on Amazon. Through a partnership with Centric Brands, Kleinfeld Bridal is debuting a fashion jewelry and hair accessories collection that isn’t just for the betrothed and their bridal parties. Retailing from $35 to $295, the 80-piece Kleinfeld jewelry line features seven collections including Say Yes, Flawless, Keepsakes, Social Butterfly, Wordplay, Crystals, and Love Notes.
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Despite the popular TLC brides-go-shopping reality show not having aired any new episodes in more than a year, fans’ interest in “Say Yes to the Dress” and Kleinfeld remains robust. Kleinfeld Bridal vice president and general merchandise manager Sheila Sciocchetti said, “So many people have grown up with the show. There is a real sentimental attachment to it. I can’t tell you how many times being here or saying where I worked that I have had someone say that they used to watch the show with their grandma or how they have always wanted to come to Kleinfeld for their wedding dress. We hear that every day.”
“With everything that’s been going on and how hard it was to film during COVID[-19], we have about six new episodes in the can. But they are not set to air until probably in the fall,” said Jennette Kruszka, Kleinfeld Bridal’s director of marketing, public relations and events. “It’s been over a year, since we have not been filming. So we are waiting until we get picked up again.”
In the meantime, partnering with a powerhouse like Amazon for the exclusive launch, which Centric Brands made happen, was a not-to-be-missed opportunity, according to Sciocchetti. Aside from the e-tailer’s worldwide reach, Amazon is also the number-one bridal registry. Initial sales expectations are in the “single-digit millions, and building into double digits,” she said. There are plans to offer the collection to others down the road, as a few major retailers have also expressed interest, Sciocchetti said.
Asked whether Amazon’s data collection practices was something discussed before the deal was finalized, she said, “Obviously, Amazon is the king of data collection. But I don’t know of any retailer, including my previous employers, where they are not collecting a ton of data. It’s difficult to get around that issue as a whole. Look, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down the customer demand for Amazon products. In terms of the reach, the functionality, and the user interface, we also were really impressed.”
To play up its heritage, there is a Kleinfeld online shop on Amazon. And the Kleinfeld fashion jewelry packaging features imagery of the retailer’s New York City storefront to give online shoppers a sense of walking through its doors. A cluster of smartphone-wielding women are outside the store “all day long” taking photos, according to Sciocchetti. “These are not necessarily just brides who have shopped with us. These are people who come here as a destination to say they visited Kleinfeld’s,” she said.
“Watching the show, you go back to that feeling that little girls have growing up dreaming of their wedding day and what they’re going to wear. The drama and emotion of the show, and the fact that a wedding is a one-time moment in your life, has really resonated with a huge following. That’s really the wedding industry as a whole — high emotion, high stakes.”
Last year, the average wedding cost $30,000, which was the most couples had spent since 2008, when the average wedding cost $33,931.
Needless to say, the deal is a win for Amazon, too, which will be wooing more brides-to-be, who may not only be in need of a bridal registry, but they might also be ready to make a series of major purchases for their homes, honeymoons and children.
The necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, barrettes and other adornments are also geared for women of all ages to wear for birthdays, proms, graduations and other milestone occasions or everyday outings. Kleinfeld is not working with “Say Yes to the Dress” star Randy Fenoli on this project, but senior executives are keen to connect all of its internal assets and different pursuits wherever that would be appropriate. “This is really about Kleinfeld as a whole, as a brand, and is based on our ‘Say Yes!’ mantra that can extend to so many different avenues, products and brand opportunities,” Sciocchetti said.
The venture transpired after years of having shoppers asking for a piece of the Kleinfeld brand, and the company ultimately found the right partner for the endeavor in Centric Brands, according to Sciocchetti. Although the brand has an ongoing alliance with Zales for co-branded jewelry, this is the first collection Kleinfeld is rolling out as a brand with jewelry being the initial focus, and with plans for a lifestyle brand to follow. That could include apparel, like robes and other getting-ready pieces for bridesmaids, as well as sweatshirts, novelty apparel and T-shirts, Sciocchetti said.
Having kicked off Kleinfeld-branded merchandise last year as a new strategy, the company’s brass was pleased with initial sales and confident that the brand’s global recognition will lead to further sales in other areas. Noting how the category options are “probably pretty unlimited,” Sciocchetti, a former David’s Bridal executive who joined the company a year ago, said, “It is shocking and surprising to me how people still react to getting a piece of this brand.”
With Amazon, the Kleinfeld jewelry will be accessible to not just shoppers in the tristate area or those who can afford to visit the New York store.
“Now you can sit at home be browsing on your phone and have a piece of Kleinfeld’s,” Kruszka said.
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