Lord & Taylor Signs Tuleh's Bryan Bradley and Starts Looking Interesting

Those of you who had written off Lord & Taylor as running on fumes might want to think again. The venerable but beleaguered department store has been undergoing a slow repositioning, but new owners NRDC Equity Partners are looking to ramp things up. To that end, they have signed Tuleh designer Bryan Bradley to create an exclusive collection for their stores, and he may be the first of many, as the store has reportedly been in talks with Peter Som and Charles Nolan, the former Ellen Tracy and Anne Klein designer who has launched his signature collection in the bridge category that easily fits in with L&T's merchandising strategy. Cynthia Steffe is already on board working with accessories, but a non-compete agreement with the company that continues to make the line that bears her name keeps her from working on apparel for another year.
As for Bradley's collection, few other details have been released  beyond his assertion that we will not be seeing Tuleh II, a disappointment to runway fans on a budget. He tells WWD,

I am looking at it from the perspective of what I think a department store needs to do to be successful now...I think of it broadly in terms of monthly categories and monthly deliveries.

Clearly he is thinking in a commercial mode, and his work should start appearing on the shelves as early as Father's Day, so you may find yourselves making a trip down to 39th and Fifth sooner than you thought.
Adding Designer Touch: Lord & Taylor Recruits Tuleh's Bradley for Line (WWD)

Comments

[Kelly]

Wow, that's great news- I love Tuleh- wish their were more details on what we can expect to see from the collection. Glad to hear L&T is bringing in the talent of some great designers- as far as department stores go, it's always been a favorite!