Dive Brief:
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Eco-friendly apparel retailer Reformation, favored by the likes of Taylor Swift and sustainability-conscious millennials, has announced a new lower-priced line called “Obvious.”
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Obvious's prices will range from $28 to $178, compared to the retailer’s general $80 to $330 range (with some prices above $600).
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Reformation has two New York City stores and a store in Los Angeles, in addition to its retail site.
Dive Insight:
As with Macy’s recent report that it’s exploring the launch an off-price business, Reformation’s announcement of a lower-priced retail line shows that retailers remain under price pressure despite an improving economy.
It sounds like Reformation is trying to avoid the problems faced by some outlet stores, like Gap Inc. and J. Crew, which often sell lower-priced lower-quality items that can hurt the flagship brand.
“When we have sprinkles of those lower price clothes in there, people don’t find them. And so by creating a destination it gives people a direct place that they can go,” Reformation founder Yael Aflalo told Fashionista. “We’re trying to have a broader assortment of clothing so that different types of people — that can afford different things or want different things from their clothes — have a place to come.”