Update: A representative from Delia's — or, rather, dELiA*s — told us that it has been acquired by Steve Russo of Fab/Starpoint, a company that operates a range of back-to-school brand licenses such as Hello Kitty and Artisan House. And, as a special #throwback treat for '90s kids, Fab/Starpoint also owns Alloy, Delia's main catalog competitor back in the day. Delia’s, the ‘90s fashion brand many of us grew up with, grew out of, and then said goodbye to, appears to be staging a comeback. A couple weeks ago on Instagram, the brand announced that it would be returning as an online-only e-commerce shop for back-to-school season, and the current website confirms it'll be live for fall 2015. In many ways, the brand seems to be returning to its roots. As a catalog-only resource in the ‘90s that relied on real girls (and very real hype) to market its products, Delia’s is smart to utilize the same technology its customer is connected to right now. An e-comm-only venture makes a ton of sense, as does its hashtag campaign, #DeliasForever (think of it as the equivalent to the cRazY nINeTiEs fOnT that inspired a whole generation of AOL profiles two decades ago). Market Watch reported that Delia’s company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on December 7, and there's no word on whether it found a new buyer to take over. Said a representative in December of 2014, "The company...[is] unable to find a merger partner, or obtain an acquisition of financing proposal enabling the company to remain a going concern." We'll update this story as more information becomes available.
Additionally, it seems that Delia's is creating a magazine counterpart to its online store that'll be mailed out monthly (so...like, a catalog?). Here's hoping this comeback is the Victoria Beckham kind, and not like the time your friend from high school told everyone she was leaving for L.A., had a summer-long going-away party, and then came back after three weeks. Don't be that girl, Delia's.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT