NEW YORK – One of the great books read to me by my grandmother, a Sophie Newcomb educated potter by the name of Margaret Clarkson Pollard, were Hans Christian Anderson’s tales. Perhaps the most memorable was “The Emperor’s New Clothes” about an emperor, crooked weavers, and child who dared to beMORE HERE
Our occasional ventures into oddlots, dollar stores and the like deliver quite special brand extensions and brand licensing. Our tops for today (and we admit we spotted this over Christmas at a Tuesday Morning) were an Izod branded leash and tennis ball set, and a Laura Ashley dog pen. Sorry AlligatorMORE HERE
NEW YORK – One of the many niche defunct brands in men’s accessories was His Lordship. Back in the day when many men regularly wore cuff links, studs and tie tacks, smaller companies like His Lordship sold custom crafted jewelry. In the case of His Lordship, it was mostly nautically themed items, mostlyMORE HERE
MARINA DEL REY – There are thousands of family businesses in the U.S. that were once considerable enterprises, so it is refreshing to see some of them come back, even if they are but modest start-ups. To wit, Cohen & Sons Apparel. I don’t know much about the original, butMORE HERE
ATLANTA – Before there was Vera Bradley, before Vera Wang, there was plain old Vera, which has reappeared as a short-term promotion for Target. Not only is the reappearance a good thing for a great classic brand, but it is proof that any number of similarly named products can existMORE HERE
The Vera brand is continuing its revival, with a new licensing deal. MORE HERE
Remember Interwoven Socks? They were one of the nation’s top sock brands, and were part of Kayser-Roth. This ad is from a 1968 Esquire, but by the mid 1970s, Interwoven was known for much more, including the John Newcombe tennis brand. Interwoven was part of Kayser-Roth, which still exists inMORE HERE
It’s an old idea, and it is often forgotten in the rampant cost cutting in retail. It’s the clothing retailer name tag. Only a generation ago, it was a common practice, as it served as a permanent advertisement for the retailer after the piece of clothing was sold. Every sortMORE HERE
Izod Lacoste wasn’t the only popular polo shirt during the preppie craze in the 1980s. Folks who wanted to be even more country club than the rest were wearing Boast, which, contrary to popular belief, did not have a pot plant on the shirt (it was a Japanese maple). OfMORE HERE
Look to our main website BrandlandUSA.com for a story on American tie brands, including Beau Brummel, seen here, and Rooster. See http://www.brandlandusa.com/2010/09/29/rooster-relic-of-a-great-era-of-american-ties/MORE HERE