Lands' End re-introduces more youthful Canvas brand

Dive Brief:

Lands’ End Friday unveiled a revamp of the retailer’s Canvas brand as a collection of on-trend apparel aimed at younger, more fashion forward shoppers.
“Canvas” was a brand the company introduced in 2009 amid promising reviews but discontinued shortly after as the company was hobbled by the woes of former parent company Sears.
The new collection features “designer styles to relaxed looks,” according to a press release, including dresses, sweaters, tops, pants and jackets for both men and women. Items for women include a long sleeve silk tee, $85, an elbow sleeve dress, $165, a long jumpsuit, $175, a pencil skirt, $95, and a short swing parka for $275, and, for men, a long sleeve chambray shirt, $69, a cotton slub hoodie, $129, chambray suit trousers, $99, and a barracuda jacket for $169.

Dive Insight:

Much has been expected from CEO Federica Marchionni, whom Lands’ End recruited from Dolce & Gabbana last February after its spinoff from Sears.

Since then, Marchionni has brought on former Saks Fifth Avenue merchandiser Joseph Boitano as chief merchandising and design officer, former J. Crew sourcing officer Scott Hyatt as chief supply chain officer, and former Bonobos designer Ian Velardi as a design director.

Alex Fuhrman, an analyst at Craig-Hallum Capital Group, told Bloomberg that Marchionni's efforts bode well for the company, as long as they don't interfere with its already loyal customers.“It makes sense for them to try to move slightly toward a younger customer,” Fuhrman said. “As long as they stay focused on their existing demographic.”

Marchionni seems to be aware of Lands’ End strength, though, and, aside from some updates to its existing preppy basics, which remain popular for kids, parents, and older shoppers, she told Bloomberg that the introduction of Canvas is an addition to that, not a replacement.

"When I first started at Lands' End, I was being asked by many people to bring back the Lands' End Canvas collection," Marchionni said in a statement. "When we began to design this exciting new collection, the name, Canvas by Lands' End, was a perfect choice. Following the vision, this new collection allows us the opportunity to reach an additional audience, younger and more fashion conscious, with a strong desire to express their personal style. The line, inspired by the freedom of artistic expression, features a white label symbolizing the ability to personally create one's own canvas.”

The Canvas roll-out includes a marketing campaign aimed at Vogue’s blockbuster September issue and other fall fashion magazines. The more traditional Lands’ End ads will appear in publications like Good Housekeeping, O Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal, and are chock full of family vibes aimed at the traditional Lands’ End buyer, according to Bloomberg.

Both collections are featured in the company’s long-standing print catalog, a mainstay of the company, which began as the country’s largest apparel catalog retailer. The catalog has had a makeover, too, with an up-to-date design that also signals its forward move and its departure from Sears.

“With this launch, we updated our website with a multi-brand architecture to support the new collection," Marchionni said in a statement. "We have always taken great pride in our online shopping experience and this enhanced format allows customers to easily shop between both brands seamlessly."