Splendid Launches Versatile Collection for Anywhere Wear
During the pandemic, Holly Shapiro, the creative director at Splendid, and her team brainstormed about what would be the next big thing in comfortable clothing.
Loungewear was wearing thin, but a desire for ease and comfort was gaining momentum.
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“The whole thing started about two years ago because we were really kind of just analyzing the world and our brand as a whole,” Shapiro said from her New York office. “We always say that we are there for our customer’s moments in life, whatever she is going through.”
The roots of the brand, launched in Los Angeles in 2002 by Moise Emquies, come from developing the most comfortable T-shirt possible. Splendid has evolved into a lifestyle brand that manufactures denim jeans, coats, sweaters, joggers, leggings, jumpsuits and other products.
The team started thinking about the brand’s classic items made with modal and pima cotton, an extra-long staple cotton.
“We were just thinking we wanted to come out of the pandemic, come out of lounge and come out of this world of comfort into a world of elevated comfort,” the creative director recalled.
With those thoughts in mind, Shapiro and her team created the Lyr Collection, which stands for layer. It consists of 76 pieces that include wide-legged pants, tube tops with bras, camisoles, short-sleeved and long-sleeved tops, long flowy cardigans and shorts.
The collection comes in eight skin-colored hues that have names like cinnamon, chai and Earl Grey and launches Sept. 8 in Splendid stores, on the Splendid website and in some specialty stores. Retail prices range from $58 to $148.
It took two years to develop the special soft and luxe fabrics that make up the collection. Shapiro said it helped that Splendid’s parent company is Delta Galil, the group based in Tel Aviv, Israel, that has created its own labels and acquired other brands. Delta Galil Industries bought Splendid, Ella Moss and Seven For All Mankind from VF Corp. in 2016 for $120 million.
Shapiro said Delta Galil has innovation laboratories in several locations around the world. “I tapped into one of their fabric scientists and said, ‘Listen, I want to create something totally brand new. I want to create something based on a MicroModal fiber, which is one of our essences of being.’”
Her goal was to elevate modal, the traditional yarn used for Splendid’s soft dressing, with cashmere and silk.
So Splendid created two new fabrications called Everyday Lyr, a modal cashmere spandex, and 24-7 Lyr, a modal cashmere silk.
The fabric was designed to be comfortable enough to wear all the time. “I wanted it be everywhere,” the creative director said.
It is meant to be mixed and matched for home and bed or for work, dinner or a party.
Splendid worked with Lenzing for the modal fiber, and the collection is being manufactured in a boutique factory in Huangzhou, China, where many of Splendid’s sweaters are made.
With the first collection done, Shaprio and her team are working on future ones. “Our plan is to build it for the first year,” the creative director said. “Then, after we establish what makes each of these seasons different, we will be developing new bodies and new colors in the palette.”
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