Karen Millen moves closer to becoming lifestyle brand with swimwear deal

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Nov 23, 2018

Karen Millen is set to launch its first swimwear collection exclusively in the new Gatwick North store opening in February 2019 after signing a licensing deal with UK brand Heidi Klein.

Klein’s subsidiary Beach Beautiful Ltd. will be responsible for manufacturing and distributing Karen Millen’s new swim and resortwear collection as the brand continues to build its lifestyle credentials through licensing.

The deal was brokered by IMG, which was appointed as Karen Millen’s worldwide licensing representative earlier this year to help it enter new lifestyle categories including homeware, bags and small accessories.

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A beachwear specialist, Heidi Klein is British brand distributed in 39 countries globally. It has been worn by celebrities including Kate Moss, Olivia Palermo, Sienna Miller and Jennifer Aniston, and it operates two stores in London and one each in Montenegro and St Lucia.

“We are delighted that this partnership will facilitate our being able to scale a broader holiday shop offering and lifestyle end-use for our customers. Heidi Klein leads the category in excellence; we are aligned in our high quality approach to each and every product. Our atelier ethos is the core of the brand and we see Heidi Klein in being the perfect partner for us to offer this new and exciting range to our global customer base,” commented Beth Butterwick, CEO of Karen Millen.

Eric Koby, CEO of Heidi Klein added: “Beach Beautiful Ltd, a subsidiary of Heidi Klein Ltd, is delighted to be working with Karen Millen on this hugely exciting venture. Heidi Klein’s commitment to quality, fit and design excellence will continue through the licenced collections, and we are thrilled to be utilising our scale by working with such a synergistic partner.”

Karen Millen’s 24-piece swim and resortwear range is scheduled to roll out internationally in store and online from late February 2019.