Act Fast: Proenza Schouler's New Label Has Hit Stores
Last Updated November 6, 2017, 8:00 PM
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Update: Proenza Schouler's second label, PSWL, has officially hit stores. What designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are calling an "extension" of their main collection, the line of streetwear pieces is just as cool as we expected. Ranging from $195 to $1,195, it's still worth pinching pennies for, but the new offering of luxury classics means increased wearability potential, and more bang for your buck. See: lots of denim, graphic tees, and a few outerwear pieces to add a touch of high to meet the low.
Of the launch, Hernandez and McCollough expressed their feat of developing a well-rounded collection that mixes their high-end tastes with the downtown vibes of New York, a constant inspiration for their brand: "A more casual lifestyle has always been true to who we are as individuals, and true of many women in our lives," they said via an official press release. "We are excited to finally have an entire range of easy, more casual things to offer alongside the more crafted and fashion-focused pieces that we have explored in the past and will continue to design. With PSWL we feel that we can now address both ends of the spectrum in a way that feels totally authentic to us and relevant to the way people dress today.”
While most offset collections come in the form of diffusion lines, where the clothes are less expensive than their ready-to-wear counterpart (think: Marc by Marc Jacobs and Victoria, Victoria Beckham), PSWL is meant to round out the designers' joint vision for Proenza Schouler. Click through to shop the brand's first drop, and be sure to check back in January 2018, when the second installment of its first season hits stores.
This article was originally published on September 1st, 2017.
Although the designers behind New York-based label Proenza Schouler aren't that inspired by their city anymore, as WWD reports, they are adding their streetwear know-how to the wardrobe of New Yorkers everywhere: the lucrative world of jeans, T-shirts. and other casualwear staples. Come November, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez will debut what they're calling PSWL, a "sister" line of casual wear staples. And, in even better news, they won't cost you the limbs that copping a dress or PS1 handbag from their main line do — well, sort of.
Not much is known about the collection so far, but it's the second in bold moves from the pair since bringing in a new CEO, and announcing they'd reformat how they present their collections each season. Starting with this upcoming Fashion Month, the brand will show their main and pre- collections together in Paris. Though they're not the only ones to move their show from New York to Paris, they're the first to try out the format, which aims to get more of their clothes in stores at the same time. Of course, Proenza Schouler has always considered their offerings of luxury basics to be part of their main collections, but now, they'll be sold separately, to make their fashions more accessible, and hopefully, boost business with more affordable options. For the record, graphic tees from the label can cost you upwards of $315.
In terms of designers who've made similar business moves, White Label is probably going to be a good idea, if the success and cult craze that surrounds T by Alexander Wang means anything. And, for those label loyalists out there, a Proenza Schouler white tee does sound chic as hell. But then again, a part of us feels like the other side of the story reveals a pair of designers who've (finally) realized that their clothes are just too dang expensive. In 2016, the duo "reassessed" their approach to their signature handbag line after seeing a decline in accessories sales across the industry. At the time of the report, their accessories collection made up half of their overall business.
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