J.C. Penney partners with Juicy Couture on new brand expansion

By

Robin Driver

Published
Sep 24, 2021

Department store retailer J.C. Penney has joined forces with Juicy Couture to launch “Juicy by Juicy Couture,” an exclusive brand expansion offering an affordable and inclusive take on the pioneering athleisure label’s signature styles.

 
Available now at 500 J.C. Penney stores, as well as on the retailer’s e-commerce site, Juicy by Juicy Couture’s debut assortment focuses on womenswear that channels the casual yet glitzy LA aesthetic that Juicy Couture is known for.
 
The hero look of this first womenswear collection is a new spin on the brand’s iconic tracksuit, which is complemented by joggers, leggings, cropped sweatshirts and hoodies. Pieces feature bold colors and prints and are available in sizes XS-3X.

Before the end of the year, Juicy by Juicy Couture will also be launching kidswear, shoes, sleepwear, watches, accessories and homeware, with gift sets scheduled to release just in time for the holidays.
 
“We are thrilled to unveil Juicy by Juicy Couture and offer our customer a new, glamorous lifestyle brand to shop,” commented J.C. Penney EVP and chief merchandising officer Michelle Wlazlo in a release. “At the heart of J.C. Penney, we stand for quality, value, and style, and promise inclusive and affordable fashion for our customers. The launch of Juicy by Juicy Couture delivers on that promise and highlights the diverse style offered only at J.C. Penney.”
 
Founded in LA in 1997 and acquired by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) in 2013, Juicy Couture is considered by many to be the brand that launched the athleisure trend. The label’s popularity reached its peak at the end of the noughties, by which time its signature velour tracksuits had been worn by some of the biggest celebrities of the decade, including Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Jennifer Lopez.
 
Shifting tastes in the wake of the Great Recession signaled less prosperous times for the brand, and the $195 million that ABG purchased the business for in the early 2010s represented a fraction of the revenues it had been reporting only a few short years before.
 
The brand has been articulating efforts to make a comeback ever since, signing off on a collaboration with Vetements in 2016 and appointing Jamie Mizrahi as creative director in 2017.
 
More recently, Juicy Couture has been working to improve its standing with younger consumers, having notably launched its profile on Gen Z’s social channel of choice, TikTok, last year. And with lockdowns having moved trends back towards casual comfort, some think this might just be Juicy’s time to shine once more.   

“For more than two decades, Juicy Couture has brought iconic LA style and attitude to consumers around the world,” said Jarrod Weber, group president for lifestyle and chief brand officer at ABG. “Juicy by Juicy Couture combines distinctive design elements and styling that pay homage to the brand’s unique ethos. This launch marks an exciting era in fashion for Juicy at J.C. Penney and we are extending the brand to a new fanbase.”
 
The launch also ties in with J.C. Penney’s own plans to improve and expand its women’s apparel offering. As part of this strategy, the retailer has debuted a slew of private-label brands since the end of 2020 and also revamped a number of its existing labels.