USA: Liz Claiborne And Haggar Clothing In Licensing Deal

Liz Claiborne announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with Haggar Clothing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Haggar Corp, to license dress pants, casual pants, and shorts under the company's Claiborne label.The new collection will be launched in January 2001. The collection will include dressy and casual classification pants, available in fabrics ranging from wool blends and basic twill to corduroys and soft structured denim."This partnership with Haggar will take Claiborne to the main floor of department stores and raise market share, brand awareness, and preference for the Claiborne brand as a whole," said Karen Murray, president of Claiborne. "It is our strategic goal to meet all of the lifestyle needs of our target consumer.""The power of the Claiborne name, coupled with our merchandising and marketing strength, will bring tremendous impact to the main floor pant business in department stores," said Frank Bracken, president and COO of Haggar Clothing Co.Under the agreement, marketing plans will include fixturing programs, co-op partnering and national advertising. The collections will be available in better department stores in June 2001. The Haggar partnership joins a list of Claiborne licensees including tailored clothing and formalwear, outerwear, neckwear, accessories, eyewear, optics, and a boy's collection.