Dive Brief:
- Crate & Barrel is featuring a new collaboration with celebrity Reese Witherspoon's lifestyle brand Draper James. The spring line "captures the modern, breezy spirit of Souther get-togethers as the seasons heats up," according to Crate & Barrel's website.
- The new line offers a mix of outdoor friendly accessories, including plates, serving dishes, pitchers, cake stands, totes, hats, beach towels, umbrellas, tables and anything else that fits into a pool party theme.
- Earlier this year, Draper James also partnered with plus-size retailer Eloquii on a spring-and-summer limited collection of apparel items like dresses and blouses, along with tote bags, napkins, candles and cosmetic bags. That collection is also being offered through Rent the Runway.
Dive Insight:
Reese Witherspoon is having a moment. Not only is she signing on for another season of the HBO hit Big Little Lies but she's also quickly becoming a retail maven. Since she founded Draper James in 2013, she's built the brand up on Southern nostalgia and plenty of partnerships.
The brand has four standalone brick-and-mortar shops in Dallas; Atlanta; Nashville, Tennessee; and Lexington, Kentucky.
Relationships with an array of retailers has been the key to success for celebrity lifestyle brands. Working with Crate & Barrel, Eloquii and Rent the Runway allows Draper James to tap its target millennial and older demographics. As a southern heritage lifestyle brand, it's likely to resonate more with millennials that are fed up with the high price of rent and other living costs in highly metropolitan areas and moving to smaller cities.
Draper James' featured collection comes at a time of rebuilding for Crate & Barrel. Last year, ex-CEO Doug Diemoz abruptly stepped down from his position and Neela Montgomery, executive board member at the company's parent Otto Group, took over. As Montgomery looks to turnaround the business, partnerships with high-profile celebrities that are tapping into smaller markets may bring in new customers.
