The Fashion Statement: Juicy Couture Taps Erin Fetherston

by Kristin Young (RSS feed)
Apr 22nd 2010 at 9:00AM

Finally, a designer -- not a celebrity -- getting tapped to design a major label!

On May 1, Erin Fetherston will start her stint as guest designer and creative consultant for Juicy Couture with plans to design the line until the end of 2011. As soon as the holiday season, 2010, you can get your hands on limited edition pieces that will no doubt incorporate the girly, fairytale-like Fetherston stamp.

Juicy Couture, as I'm sure most of you are well aware, is known for the iconic velor track suits that every fashionista donned to do everything but exercise or go to the gym. They were too nice for that! As the trend started to wane, the company was acquired by Liz Claiborne that had a deal to eventually phase out co-founders and designers Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy. The two gave up their control of day-to-day operations earlier this year.

By the looks of things, the marriage will be a good one: Both designer and brand are from California, Juicy has always been Fetherston-level girly and both appear to need the other. WWD reported that Nordstrom dropped Juicy Couture for fall and some new creative blood might drive interest again and help the brand steer clear of becoming just another corporate brand.

Although Fetherston has a celebrity following of Anne Hathaway, Kirsten Dunst and Cameron Diaz, she is not exactly well-known among the masses. Juicy Couture exposure could definitely help catapult her fame. And, finally, the partnership is not long-term and Fetherston can continue designing her eponymous six-year-old designer line. Fetherston, who will be jetting back and forth between New York and Los Angeles, acknowledged it will be like having two jobs.

For those of you who know little about Fetherston, she grew up in Piedmont, California and went to UC Berkeley. She got her fashion chops at Parson's School of Design in Paris and recently moved from Paris to New York where she has been showing her collections at the Bryant Park tents.

Her clothes? Well, spring was all about sheer blouses, pink bows and feminine dresses. But there were plenty of high-octane black dresses that could make any schoolmarm glamorous. For fall, expect bohemian, '70s spirit and a lot more tailoring.

On Fetherston's to do list for Juicy Couture? A reinvention of the track suit to commemorate its 10 year birthday. I mean, what else could a girly girl want?

Tags: Erin Fetherston, ErinFetherston, Gela Nash-Taylor, GelaNash-taylor, Juicy Couture, JuicyCouture, Liz Claiborne, LizClaiborne, Pamela Skaist-Levy, PamelaSkaist-levy

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

SONYMROM Apr 24th 2010 9:40AM

GREAT! NO MORE HOOKER VELOR TRACK SUITS! WHAT WILL THE STRIPPERS WEAR?

claire sargent Apr 24th 2010 9:49AM

"Eponymous"? I'm well educated but never heard of eponymous until I looked it up. Use language that the majority of people use!

Molly Apr 26th 2010 7:11AM

REM used the word as an album name. So I guess you aren't Jill-of-All-Trades or as educated as you thought.

Julia Apr 24th 2010 10:37AM

I boycotted Juicy years ago. The word "Juicy" written on the bum of little girls' track suits is disgusting and sexualizes children. Why not just let little girls carry signs that read, "pediphiles, stop here!"?

waagtod Apr 24th 2010 10:26AM

This brand put "JUICY" on womens butts around the world. If your butt is juicy, take Pepto, don't tell me about it!! Disgusting, and proves women will wear anything, no matter how stupid, if it comes from a "designer".

Connie Apr 25th 2010 12:54PM

I happen to love Juicy Couture. I discovered it about 5 yrs. ago. My first purchase was a handbag and then it just grew from there. I agree that a child wearing a track suit that says, "Juicy" on the butt is inappropriate, but if a grown adult wants to were it who cares? For the person who said only strippers wear the Juicy track suits you obviously don't have a clue. I'm a nursing student and I like to wear them to class because they are warm and comfortable. Most strippers I have seen have never had on a Juicy track suit. Most of them are broke and need the little money they do have to support a man or drug habit.

cgw Apr 24th 2010 1:00PM

I love the brand and love the designs...what I don't love in this time of fiscal peril...is the cost. I have an apparel company and realize that it is up to those of us who want to stay in business to cut into profit in favor of helping out our customers. Apparently, Joucy Couture didn't get the memo.

Molly Apr 26th 2010 7:12AM

Juicy needed something new. Their line became so derivative and tired!

I like Erin Fetherston's work & I hope she can elevate the brand above the whos-dumb-idea-was-it to put 'juicy' on a childs track pants??

Now that I know the brand went corporate-it all makes sense to me.

If Juicy folded tho, it wouldn't be any real loss since the creators aren't involved any more.