Hartmarx Announces Dr. Martens Sportswear License
17 April 2008 - 8:18AM
PR Newswire (US)
CHICAGO, April 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hartmarx Corporation
(NYSE: HMX) today announced that it has reached agreement with
Airwair International Limited and R Griggs Group Limited, the
holders of the worldwide license for Dr. Martens(R), to
manufacture, market and sell a wide range of men's and women's
casual apparel under the Dr. Martens brand. The Dr. Martens
sportswear will be manufactured, marketed and sold by HMX
Sportswear, Inc., a New York based subsidiary of Hartmarx. Eric
Prengel, Group President of HMX Sportswear, stated, "We are
extremely excited to be working with the group at Airwair
International on the launch of the Dr. Martens collection. Our
experience with Monarchy, the company we acquired last year, has
shown us the tremendous value of a global lifestyle brand that has
a unique cultural heritage in today's contemporary fashion arena.
We believe that the Dr. Martens collection will be very relevant to
today's younger consumer who is looking for both fashion forward
style and quality, and is increasingly shopping at specialty
chains. We plan to partner with major retailers who understand what
a huge opportunity there is in this area." The Dr. Martens apparel
collection will be designed in New York. The launch collection will
feature menswear for Fall, 2009 with women's to follow in 2010. The
collection will reflect cutting edge fashion trends for both men
and women ranging from sportswear staples such as denim jeans and
cotton shirts to sweatshirts and outerwear. David Suddens, Chief
Executive Officer of Airwair, commented, "We are very excited and
pleased that we are able to partner with Hartmarx, a company whose
longstanding values of quality and product integrity we share."
Hartmarx produces and markets business, casual and golf apparel
under its own brands, including Hart Schaffner Marx,
Hickey-Freeman, Palm Beach, Coppley, Monarchy, Manchester Escapes,
Society Brand, Racquet Club, Naturalife, Pusser's of the West
Indies, Brannoch, Sansabelt, Exclusively Misook, Barrie Pace, Eye,
Christopher Blue, Pine IV, Worn, Blue House Drive, One Girl Who...,
Zooey by alice heller and b.chyll. In addition, the Company has
certain exclusive rights under licensing agreements to market
selected products under a number of premier brands such as Austin
Reed, Tommy Hilfiger, Burberry men's tailored clothing, Ted Baker,
Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Claiborne, Pierre Cardin, Perry Ellis,
Lyle & Scott, Golden Bear and Jag. The Company's broad range of
distribution channels includes fine specialty and leading
department stores, value-oriented retailers and direct mail
catalogs. The comments set forth above contain forward-looking
statements made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe,"
"continue," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should" or
"will" or the negatives thereof or other comparable terminology.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees as actual results
could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such
forward-looking statements. The statements could be significantly
impacted by such factors as the level of consumer spending for
men's and women's apparel, the prevailing retail environment, the
Company's relationships with its suppliers, customers, licensors
and licensees, actions of competitors that may impact the Company's
business, possible acquisitions and the impact of unforeseen
economic changes, such as interest rates, or in other external
economic and political factors over which the Company has no
control. The reader is also directed to the Company's periodic
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for additional
factors that may impact the Company's results of operations and
financial condition. The Company undertakes no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
DATASOURCE: Hartmarx Corporation CONTACT: Lisa Wells, for Hartmarx
Corporation, +1-212-826-3529 Web site: http://www.hartmarx.com/
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