Belk, TV Star Craig Conover Team To Boost Crown & Ivy Own Brand
Belk and its Crown & Ivy private label brand are partnering with Sewing Down South, a lifestyle brand co-founded by television personality Craig Conover, to launch a new assortment of apparel for men and women, along with a selection of products for the home.
The launch will feature a limited-time, exclusive summer collection offering nearly 100 styles of apparel and home accessories, with prices starting at $10. The line will be available in stores and online beginning June 4.
“We are super proud of the Sewing Down South line because, as a Southern-based department store, we are always striving to speak to the needs of a customer who is proud of their Southern sensibilities,” said MaryAnne Morin, president and chief merchandising officer at Belk. “Crown & Ivy is fashion that is affordable, colorful, and really speaks to the needs of our customers.”
To mark the collection’s launch, Belk will open a pop-up shop next to Sewing Down South's Charleston, S.C., storefront, which will exclusively sell products from the summer collection through Labor Day. The brands will co-host a grand opening event on Saturday, June 7, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 489 King Street, Suite 100, in Charleston. The event is open to the public.
"Collaborating with Belk is a huge milestone for Sewing Down South, and it's been a ton of fun from the start," said Conover. "From the first days of working together on color concepts, to aligning on our creative direction, to developing the line, we've created a collection that we're proud of and are excited to see go to market."
As the new Crown & Ivy Sewing Down South collection prepares to launch, Store Brands spoke with Morin to gain additional insight on the collaboration with Conover and the design sensibilities behind the products in the line.
STORE BRANDS: How do you see the new collection reflecting and/or elevating the lifestyle aesthetic that Belk offers its shoppers?
MARYANNE MORIN: One of the considerations when we do collaborations is what else this person can potentially bring to our audience, and potentially help bring in a new audience. We took this collection and focused on all of the things that are appropriate for summer in the South: apparel, home products, and beach essentials. We wanted to have some fun with it while potentially gaining new customers who might not be familiar with the brand. We also want to offer our existing customers products that are a little different from what we currently have. Things change all the time, and this is a way for us to keep evolving and appealing to our customers.
SB: What are some of the highlights in the new assortment?
MM: We focused on what makes sense for a brand like Crown & Ivy, which is very strong in apparel. For example, we have some beautiful dresses in patterns that are true to Charleston and reflect the refined elegance of the city. We also have fun, sporty pieces and items for men that they can wear to the beach. We looked at this as an entire collection that sits together beautifully, has a bit of whimsy to it, and is true to both the Sewing Down South brand and the Crown & Ivy brand.
SB: What was the thought process behind having the collection offer products in apparel and home?
MM: We thought about entertaining in the summer in the South, and with that, there’s a component of outdoor living. We looked at some things that we weren’t doing that could be part of what we do going forward. There are no bounds to creativity, and one of the harder things we had to do was pull back from including too much, as there were so many great options the design teams came up with. We are constantly trying to understand what else the customer wants from us and how far we can push the sensibility of something. With each collaboration, we’re pushing it just a little bit further. What started as a womens-only apparel brand has grown into so much more.
SB: Is this a collection that is going to continue to grow and evolve?
MM: As it stands now, we will have our summer launch, and then we will also have a holiday launch in the back half of the year. Like everything else in retail, we’ll learn from it, evolve, and see where it goes. We are excited to have a summer collection to offer our customers and then take that into gift-giving and holiday, which is so important to our shoppers. We will offer products that specifically speak to gifting as that becomes more important during the November/December period.
