<\/p>\n
\n\tTalbots is on the move again after years of being among the sleepier brands in retail.<\/p>\n
\n\tA new team formed within the past year has reworked the collection; reinvented core, legacy styles, and is giving Talbots a more demonstrative voice in its digital marketing, catalogues and stores. They\u2019re touting trends each season without being trendy, and pointing out how many of Talbots classic styles \u2014 the \u201cCharming Cardigan,\u201d the button-down \u201cPerfect Shirt\u201d or \u201cPolished Crepe Pant\u201d \u2014 are suitable for the office, a night out or casual occasions. Different ways to wear the same Talbots items, such as showing the \u201cPerfect Shirt\u201d with its eased, relaxed fit, under a blazer or tucked in a denim jean, are also given a spotlight.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cOver the last year, the team sweated over those items \u2014 the fit, the fabric, the proportion \u2014 and we\u2019re really proud of the way those items show up today,\u201d said Barbara Wagner, Talbots\u2019 brand president, in an interview with WWD. \u201cThese are versatile items that our customers can wear in more ways than one, because we have to serve her from wear-to-work to weekend to dressed up. It\u2019s really a wardrobe of essentials she can rely on and remix, season after season.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tBarbara Wagner<\/p>\n
\n\tThere\u2019s also an effort to be more a part of the fashion conversation, tie in with celebrities and modernize the brand image beyond its more traditional, New England roots. The fall \u201cTalbots Takes Manhattan\u201d campaign was photographed by Ben Watts in SoHo, Central Park and Washington Square Park. Complementing that is a cinematic social series, \u201cMore to Explore,\u201d shot by director Beau Sam and themed around friendship and connection. <\/p>\n
\n\tIn February, Talbots\u2019 \u201cAmerican Classics\u201d campaign was launched with top models in Talbots\u2019 refreshed look against the backdrop of northern California. And for the first time, Talbots made some noise during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 10 with a \u201cCaf\u00e9 Talbots\u201d event at the Lafayette Grand Caf\u00e9 & Bakery in Manhattan\u2019s NoHo district with Niki Taylor (a central figure in Talbots campaigns for 13 years) and actress Justine Lupe. They were joined by members of the media, creators and customers, highlighting, as Wagner said, \u201cTalbots\u2019 refreshed and polished point of view on modern American style.\u2026Fashion week just felt like the right moment to put that evolution on a bigger stage. It\u2019s not a departure from who we are, but it\u2019s really the most confident expression of it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tIn another first for the brand, Talbots is partnering with Vox Media and Ina Garten, the famous cook, author and host of the Food Network program \u201cBarefoot Contessa.\u201d Talbots will advertise on Garten\u2019s podcast beginning Oct. 7, and she\u2019s expected to appear in Talbots\u2019 iconic denim shirt which she\u2019s worn for years. (Like WWD, Vox Media is ultimately owned by Penske Media Corp.)<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tJustine Lupe and Niki Taylor wear Talbots at the brand\u2019s New York Fashion Week event.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDavid Benthal\/BFA.com<\/p>\n
\n\tTalbots was founded by the husband-and-wife team Nancy and Rudolf Talbot in 1947 when they opened their first store in Hingham, Mass., where the brand is still based. Talbots was publicly owned when it was bought by private equity firm Sycamore Partners in 2012.<\/p>\n
\n\tTalbots is now part of Sycamore\u2019s KnitWell Group, a holding company formed in 2023 that includes Ann Taylor, Loft, Chico\u2019s, White House Black Market, Soma, Lane Bryant and Haven Well Within. The formation of the group created opportunities for cost savings, and sharing talent and best practices in product development and other areas. That has led to speculation that bringing Sycamore\u2019s specialty retail businesses together is a prelude to a potential sale of the group to another private equity firm, retail company or through an IPO.<\/p>\n
\n\tUnder the KnitWell umbrella, the brands tap into shared functions like finance, IT and HR. According to Wagner, that group structure, as well as financial support from Sycamore, has given the Talbots team \u201cthe runway to invest in the brand for the long term, and in moments like our first New York Fashion Week event. It\u2019s really a nice structure that allows the brands to stay focused on the things that matter most \u2014 product, the customer and brand expression.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tWagner has been president of Talbots since March, but has worked at the brand for eight years. Other key members of the team include Alessandra Brunialti, senior vice president and creative director of design, who formerly worked at Lane Bryant, Banana Republic and Calvin Klein, and Bobby Ferrario, chief marketing officer, who previously worked at Orchard Brands, Bebe and New York & Co. Both joined Talbots about a year ago.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe use the word evolution a lot internally,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cThe Talbots DNA, quality, fit, classic American style aren\u2019t changing. It\u2019s how we\u2019re expressing it that feels very refreshed. There\u2019s a more defined fashion pyramid that establishes modern and relevant core product. We call these reinvented core items \u2018wardrobe heroes.’\u201d In terms of the styles Talbots wants to highlight the most, the curation is sharper.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tModels Natasha Luwedde and Elisabeth Erm in Talbots fall 2026 styles.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDavid Benthal\/BFA.com<\/p>\n
\n\tWagner acknowledged Talbots has been one of the industry\u2019s \u201cgreatest kept secrets.\u2026I don\u2019t think many people are fully aware of our scale,\u201d but pointed to the brand\u2019s 450 stores, including about 80 outlets, nearly 3 million customers and more than 1 million social media followers. \u201cThere\u2019s an engaged and loyal customer base,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cWe\u2019re one of the top 10 specialty apparel retailers for our core demographic,\u201d which targets 45- to 65-year-old women with an inclusive size range from petites to plus. While Talbots targets a mature woman, Wagner maintained that different generations shop the brand, and that they\u2019re generally professionals prioritizing value, fit and quality, rather than chasing trends. The prices are considered midtier, ranging from $39.50 for T-shirts, to just over $300 for wool outerwear.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cOver the last 12 months, we\u2019ve effectively doubled our asset creation, when you think about how we\u2019re showing up in digital with new video, telling our stories differently in social and print, and using a segmented approach to the catalogue,\u201d Ferrario said. \u201cA new customer will see a different expression of the brand expression than the core audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tFerrario said Talbots has been \u201cvery intentional about moving away from the idea that every asset has to do every job. It\u2019s one brand, but it shouldn\u2019t be one expression everywhere. On social, we can be more aspirational, culturally connected and editorial \u2014 you\u2019re trying to stop someone in their feet and give them a point of view. We launched our first social series, \u2018More to Explore\u2019 which debuts with each seasonal collection. It\u2019s cinematic and aspirational but also tells a story.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tOn talbots.com, he said, the presentation is more about outfitting, product authority and helping customers feel confident in their choices. The catalogue has been reformatted. \u201cIt\u2019s less of a transaction channel and more of a brand experience,\u201d Ferrario said.<\/p>\n
\n\tBetween the different channels, \u201cThe visual language is consistent, but the storytelling flexes,\u201d he said. \u201cThe more we can tailor our creative to be relevant by customer cohort and channel of discovery, the better. It\u2019s something we have made progress on in the past year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tBobby Ferrario<\/p>\n
\n\tAsked how the business is performing, Wagner said: \u201cOur customer is really responding to what we\u2019re giving her \u2014 this modern expression. She sees classic Talbots in it, but it feels very modern and relevant for today.\u201d KnitWell does not disclose financial details of its brands.<\/p>\n
\n\tOn the brick-and-mortar front, Talbots closed dozens of stores over the last few years but the downsizing has stopped. Executives suggested the possibility of opening stores beginning next year. Stores represent about 50 percent of Talbots\u2019 annual volume, which is said to exceed $1 billion. Talbots.com and the catalogue account for the other half.<\/p>\n
\n\tFor KnitWell, managing and differentiating each of its women\u2019s specialty fashion retailers can be challenging. Asked if Talbots competes with Ann Taylor, which also targets mature women, Wagner replied: \u201cWe have looked at that. It\u2019s two very different customers. We do service similar end users from the standpoint of wear to work and more professional attire. We also look at a very similar demographic between Talbots and Chico\u2019s, but Chico\u2019s has a more casual expression.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAnd Loft, Wagner said, caters to a younger, more casually attired customer compared to Talbots. \u201cI firmly believe that, at Talbots, we are serving an underserved market, especially with some of the bumpiness that\u2019s been happening in department stores, and contemporary brands charging a lot more for blazers and jeans.\u201d<\/p>\n
#Reawakening #Talbots<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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