Retail roundup: Vans shoes, Oscar de la Renta, H

By Shan Li

June 16, 2012 12 AM PT

--Action-sports apparel company Vans Inc. is venturing further into athletic footwear with the launch of the LXVI line of shoes.

The line, named after the Cypress, Calif., company’s founding year in 1966, will start with five designs to be sold online, in select Vans stores and at retail stores such as Foot Locker, the company said.

Vans has traditionally appealed to teenagers who skateboard or those who simply like skater fashions. Priced beginning at $70, the new shoe line is aiming for a mainstream audience of young shoppers who “are more likely to be a teen walking around the streets in a pair of running shoes or basketball shoes,” Vans President Kevin Bailey told Bloomberg. “This brings a new consumer into the Vans stable of footwear.”

--Luxury brand Oscar de la Renta, the favorite of several first ladies of the United States, is stretching its retail footprint with a new London store and expansion of its New York flagship.

In April, the high-end retailer opened its second Middle East store in Saudi Arabia, and last November planted a boutique in the Dominican Republic, bringing its store count up to 13.

President Alex Bolen told Women’s Wear Daily that Oscar de la Renta was dedicated to adding more bricks-and-mortar stores.

“We have become increasingly confident in the risk-reward of managing a retail business,” Bolen said. “Don’t misunderstand: E-commerce has many attractive characteristics.... As we’ve opened our own stores and have learned what works and what doesn’t, we’ve become increasingly focused on expanding our retail presence.”

--For its latest designer collaboration, cheap-chic retailer H&M is teaming up with Paris design house Maison Martin Margiela.

H&M has previously brought on high-end brands such as Prada, Commes de Garcons and Marni to design capsule collections, which have inspired huge crowds to camp out overnight at stores for a chance to get luxury designs at affordable prices.

The latest collection will go on sale in stores and online Nov. 15, and will include both men’s and women’s apparel and accessories.

H&M confirmed the rumored holiday collaboration with H&M by posting a short video on YouTube.

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