It’s not every day that a skin care line branches into apparel, but that’s just what is happening at Billy Jealousy for fall.
The upscale men’s grooming and skin care collection inked a licensing deal with Crown & Eagle to produce and distribute a collection of men’s casual sportswear under the Billy Jealousy name, and the line will make its debut at the ENK NYC show.
The initial collection will be focused primarily on tops, both knits and wovens, and will also include sweaters. There will be very few bottoms.
Jonathan Whaley, design director, said the line will blend “Italian elegance, English bespoke, Asian bounce and American cool. Put it all in a blender and you come up with what we’re calling it — American sartorial.” He said that men today dress differently every day of the week and the plan for Billy Jealousy is to “try to take all the elements of what a man wears Monday through Sunday and make it in the best yarns and fabrics.”
Woven shirts in 80s and 100s yarns will retail for around $125, pima polos, lightweight hoodies and rugby shirts will be around $100, and T-shirts are $60. Cotton sweaters will sell for $75 to $85, while cashmeres will be up to $200.
Whaley said target distribution will be to the major department and specialty stores that sell the Billy Jealousy skin care line including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and upscale specialty stores.
He said there are no immediate plans to market the apparel and skin care elements of the brand together. “The areas are so separate from each other and it’s a logistical problem more than anything else right now, but we’re thinking about it.”
— Jean E. Palmieri