Apparel | Tuesday, July 27, 2010

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SUPIMA IN THE NEWS: Fessler’s private label

By Greg Wang

LOS ANGELES—Long a choice of the best-known brands and designers, Fessler, a longtime Supima licensee, is expanding its private-label capabilities.

Here, in the latest edition of

< href="http://www.apparelnews.net/news/manufacturing/072310-Fesslers-Contemporary-Fashion-Basics-Make-It-Easier-to-Go-Private">

California Apparel News is what reporter Alison Neider had to say:

FesslerUSA, maker of private-label knits, launched a new program to make it easier for retailers to launch their own private-label program.

FAST FASHION: Fessler USA’s contemporary fashion basics program is designed for retailers who want to launch a private-label program without the time and expense of start-up costs.

Founded in 1900, the family-owned company provides quick-turn production for contemporary brands and retailers. The Orwigsburg, Penn.–based company specializes in apparel for garment-dye programs, piece-dyeing and embellishments, including screen printing, heat transfers and embroidery. The company will also press, fold, ticket, hang and bag items to make them ready to ship to retailers.

And now Fessler is extending the opportunity to getting into the private-label game for retailers who want to realize the same margin benefits enjoyed by private-label lines without the start-up costs typically associated with launching a new line. Fessler is pitching its “Contemporary Fashion Basics” concept to boutiques of “any size” looking to offer private-label product without spending the time and money to develop and sample a line—and without high minimum-order requirements.

The company is offering five core styles and 10 to 15 fashion styles in a range of colors. CFB styles include tanks, tees, bottoms and accessories. The company plans to offer between six and 10 colors each season and will do custom colors for a small fee. Fabrications include jersey, rib, pointelle and thermal in Supima/Micro-Modal, Supima/Micro-Modal slub, polyester/rayon stripes and cotton/polyester burnout.

Fessler will also help a retailer develop hangtags and labels based on the company’s logo, explained Brian Meck, Fessler’s vice president of sales and marketing.

“We have a label partner who will take a store logo and create a concept board to create a label and hangtag for a store to use for a private-label business,” Meck explained.

CFB products will arrive tagged, bagged and boxed at the retailer.

Fessler’s CFB program allows smaller retailers to launch a private-label program with minimal investment, Meck explained.

“We tested it in January and February and got a good response,” he said, adding that about 30 retailers across the country have already used the service to create their own private-label lines.

For more information about Fessler’s CFB program, visit www.myfashionbasics.com.