WWD reported this morning that the Liz Claiborne brand would no longer have its original holding name any longer. Thus, the brand will be changing its name to Fifth & Pacific Cos. Inc., effective May 2012. The group said last fall that it would rename itself in light of the fact that it had sold its namesake brand to J.C. Penney Co. Inc., and it was no longer manufacturing Claiborne apparel.
“First of all, this is a holding company. It’s a not a consumer brand name. There are several brands in the closet [Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, Kate Spade and Jack Spade]. We wanted a name that somehow captured the intrinsically American element of what we do, even though these are global brands,” William L. McComb, chief executive officer of Liz Claiborne Inc., explained. He said that as they went through the naming process, “we talked about the lurking drama of New York and Los Angeles really being a defining element of what we are as a company. Fifth & Pacific Cos. was chosen to reflect the company’s New York and Los Angeles roots, rather than a consumer brand.
Starting today, the company will begin an education blitz, informing its employees and the public about the name change. It plans a series of videos, done by McComb, which will appear on a public landing page, fifthandpacific.com. It plans to advertise the name digitally, as well as in newspapers such as WWD, The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.
– Taneisha Jordan
Source & Photo: WWD
