Dive Brief:
- Lilly Pulitzer and Badgley Mischka have collaborated on a seven-piece capsule collection of dresses, which became available Thursday, according to a press release sent to Fashion Dive.
- Pieces in the collection range in price from $485 to $715 and come in sizes 0 to 16. The line will be available at Spring Market, through both brands’ ecommerce sites, as well as some Lilly Pulitzer stores and in Badgley Mischka’s two boutiques.
- The capsule is meant to mark Lilly Pulitzer’s 65th anniversary as a brand. The collection includes design elements that are key to both brands, including a new Lilly Pulitzer floral print, called Garden Grove, and beadwork and silhouettes Badgley Mischka is known for, per the release.
Dive Insight:
The collaboration marks a change for the Lilly Pulitzer brand but retains elements of its classic floral aesthetic. The new collection’s dresses are inspired by the Palm Beach, Florida, aesthetic, per the release.
“Marking Lilly Pulitzer's debut into designer collaborations, we found Badgley Mischka to be the absolute perfect partner,” Mira Fain, executive vice president of design for Lilly Pulitzer, said in an email to Fashion Dive.
Lilly Pulitzer has launched several previous collaborations, including a menswear line with Southern Tide, an ongoing collaboration with Disney, and a popular collection with Target. The 2015 Target collab sold out in minutes.
The Lilly Pulitzer brand, founded in 1959, has been through ownership changes, a bankruptcy, and the death of its founder, during its 60-year history. In 2010, it was sold to current holding company Oxford Industries Inc. Oxford’s other holdings include Tommy Bahama, Southern Tide and Johnny Was.
Lilly Pulitzer is Oxford’s second largest brand by revenue. In the company’s third quarter results, reported in December 2023, the brand generated $76.3 million in revenue, which represented a 9% year-over-year decrease. It’s set to report full-year fiscal results on March 28.
Meanwhile, Badgley Mischka has been shifting its marketing strategy to focus on working with influencers and is considering expanding into more categories, according to a February report from Glossy.
The brand also went through several ownership changes throughout its 35-year history: Namesake co-founders Mark Badgley and James Mischka bought the brand back from Iconix Brand Group in 2016. The founders bought the company through a joint venture with footwear licensee Titan Industries Inc. and apparel licensee MJCLK LLC for the sale.
Badgley called the new collection with Lilly Pulitzer “a natural and compelling” collaboration for the brand, per an email to Fashion Dive.
