Fashion Private Labels Vs. Essay, Research Paper

Private Label vs. Brand Name

Summertime is just few months away and women are already shopping for a new swimwear. Everyone wants to look the best they can for the upcoming beach season.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of new styles and colors in Macy s, where I went to shop for a swimsuit.

There are few private labels that work for Macy s. Some of them are in better category, like INC, Alfani, Morgan Taylor and some in moderate – Jennifer Moore, Innovation Sports and Style & Co. However, only INC represents Macy s in their swimwear department. This section has a name Pool Colors and locates on the third floor, by the back wall (behind outerwear), between lingerie and a junior section.

The INC has three racks on the floor and surrounded by different brands, including Calvin Klein, Speedo, Nike, Jantzen, Nautica, Polo Sports, Anne Cole, Adrienne Vittadini, Miracle Suite, La Blanka, Sirena, Roxanne, Dotti Cover-ups, Wearabouts, VM Sport, Delta Burke, IT Figures and many more. Styles and fabric vary depending on the designer or the company that has made it.

The INC has two major styles this season: solid plus the matching skirt and two-piece, also available with the matching skirt. The solid swimsuits come in different colors. Black and sangria with a mesh top is made from 84% nylon and 16% Lycra spandex.

Other colors include silver gray; purple, red or black with white trimming; royal blue, cyan with a white line across (same style is also available in sangria and pink with a baby-blue line and red and hot pink with an orange line). Some have a plain cut and some have spagetti straps that are crossing on the back. All of them cost $ 74.00

The two-piece comes in black, royal blue with white or cyan trim; purple and pink; turquoise; gray; blue and white colors. The price for this swimsuits is also $ 74.00 and the matching skirt costs $ 38.00

The quality of the INC products is not the best concerning their pricing, choice of fabric colors and styles. And in the comparison to some of other brands the INC definitely bores the eyes and looses.

The other location I visited for the same purpose was Speedo on 500 Fifth Avenue. The store is dedicated to the sportswear, so it was not so difficult for me to find their swimwear area. The collections had some of Speedo s swimsuits that I saw in Macy s on the Speedo rack, but there it was very basic and here much more diverse. The collection contained a lot of solid, but very few two-piece swimsuits.

I was pretty impressed with quality, color choice and simple, yet elegant styles that were shown there. To illustrate, I would list some of the styles.

From the Racing Swimwear, the Solid Super Proback is one of the best sellers. The classic styling and performance for which Speedo is renowned, comes in black, hunter green, red, navy and sapphire colors. Flat-locked stitching eliminates chafing and it is fully front lined. Another features include low drag profile, bar tack reinforcement at

stress points and non-slip straps. It s made from superior, chlorine-resistant 78% Antron nylon and 22% Lycra spandex. Some are made in the USA and some are imported. The price is $ 50.00

From the Active Swimwear I would mention a Solid Tankini, which is a two-piece swimsuit. It contains a tank top styling with scoop bikini with a reflective logo at side seam. It has a chlorine-resistant 82% Antron nylon and 18% Lycra spandex construction as well as full front liner in top and bottom. It is available only in black, imported and costs $ 76.00

The Aquatic Swimwear collection also has a lot to offer. For example: Reflections Hi-Neck is a brilliant, water-inspired print with a keyhole back and clasp closure. It has a moderate cut, true-to-size fit, built-in seamless, molded aquatic bra. Chlorine-resistant 78% Antron nylon blended with 22% Lycra spandex. It is imported and available only in turquoise. The price is $ 64.00

Comparing these two brands, it comes out pretty clear that private label for Macy s cannot handle the competition in any of the criteria. May be in the future we wouldn t even have to go to small stores, we would walk into the department store and walk out with bags full of stuff that would be made just by the private labels. I m not sure if it will ever happen, but it would definitely save a lot of time for us, consumers.

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