Nine West
in Braintree, Massachusetts
Nine West (also 9 West) is a fashion wholesale and retail company best known for quickly translating runway trends into styles attainable by mass consumers.
Initially founded as a fashion footwear brand, Nine West has since expanded into handbags, sunglasses, legwear, outerwear, jewelry, belts, watches, cold weather accessories, hats, scarves and wraps, and eyewear.[1]
Fred Allard has served as Creative Director since 2006.[2]
Named for its founding location in the Solow Building at 9 West 57th St in New York City, Nine West opened its first specialty retail store in 1983 in Stamford, Connecticut. It has since become an internationally-recognized brand located in over 800 global locations in 57 countries. The corporate headquarters are located in White Plains, New York, with estimated employee size 390 & overall employee size over 10,000.
In 1999, Nine West was acquired by Jones Apparel Group.[3]
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[edit] Brand History
Nine West was founded in 1978 by Jerome Fisher and Vince Camuto, after their wholesale shoe business Fisher Camuto Corporation was incorporated. Nine West was one of the first companies to utilize the expertise in leather and shoemaking in Brazil. By 1979, Camuto and Fisher had already sold over 1 million pairs of shoes.
In 1983, the first Nine West branded retail store was opened in Stamford, Connecticut while international expansion began with the opening of the Hong Kong location in 1994.
In 1986, Nine West launched its first national ad campaign.
After the launch of handbags in 1995, Nine West has since expanded to dresses, suits and kids footwear. Through licensing agreements, it also offers eyewear, sunglasses, legwear, outerwear, belts, hats, cold weather accessories, scarves and wraps.
In 2006, Nine West began collaborating with Vivienne Westwood, Thakoon and Sophia Kokosalaki on limited edition "capsule collections".
In 2009, Nine West and New Balance collaborated to develop a collection of footwear inspired by performance and fashion.
[edit] References in popular culture
In Gwyn Cready's comedic romance novel Tumbling Through Time, Seph Pyle is transported back in time to 1705 after trying on a pair of sandals at the Nine West store in the Pittsburgh airport.
In the Will and Grace episode William, Tell Karen makes a comment about Will's office being below street level, saying that all he could see from his window is 'bad shoes' and then pointing at the window and saying 'See, Nine West'.
Craig Ferguson mentions the store on a frequent basis on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
[edit] References
- ^ "Nine West brand", Jones Apparel Group
- ^ "Jones Apparel Group Names Creative Director For Nine West Brand", allbusiness.com, Wednesday, October 18 2006
- ^ Nine West Inc. Company History, fundinguniverse.com
[edit] External links
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