Dive Brief:
- Anthropologie on Monday transitioned Maeve from a private label to a stand-alone brand, including its own social media channels and stores, according to a Monday press release. The brand’s first retail concept will open in Raleigh, North Carolina, in October.
- Maeve currently has dedicated retail space within Anthropologie’s stores and has become the top-searched brand on Anthropologie’s website over the past year. Its product assortment “blends timeless silhouettes with modern details,” features plus, petite, tall and adaptive options, and targets a “multigenerational audience,” according to Anthropologie.
- To kick off the launch, Anthropologie is rolling out a robust marketing strategy. This includes an ad campaign across digital and physical channels, a Maeve catalog that will be shipped to top customers, a Substack newsletter, and an in-person event in New York City featuring a mock store preview and product unveilings.
Dive Insight:
As an owned brand, Maeve became a growth driver and developed a loyal customer base, which sowed the seeds for this transition, according to Anthropologie. Over the past year, almost 2 million customers have shopped Maeve products and the brand has accumulated more than 10 million TikTok views, per the release.
“Its consistent performance, combined with our customers’ emotional connection to the brand, made this the right moment to evolve Maeve into a stand-alone identity,” Anu Narayanan, president of women’s and home at Anthropologie Group, said in a statement. “Our customers have helped shape Maeve into what it is today and shown us time and again that the label holds a special place in both their wardrobes and their lives.”
Prior to introducing Maeve as a stand-alone brand, Anthropologie has expanded in other ways. In January, the retailer unveiled resortwear line Celandine, complete with swimwear, cover-ups, dresses, accessories and beauty products. Two months later, Anthropologie partnered with Universal Standard to create a 13-piece collection, including shirts, jeans, a jumpsuit and dresses.
Those efforts are paying off, according to Frank Conforti, COO and co-president of parent company Urban Outfitters Inc. On an earnings call with analysts in May, Conforti noted that both brick-and-mortar and digital channels drove growth for Anthropologie and praised the segment’s product assortment.
“The team at Anthropologie continues to do an excellent job with their strategy to expand their product offerings to fit their customers’ full lifestyle,” Conforti said, adding that the launch of Celandine had already “exceeded our expectations. Alongside Celandine, Daily Practice and the expanded assortment of intimates and loungewear are also seeing impressive growth, and we believe these could become significant categories in the future.”
Anthropologie’s net sales in the quarter rose 8.3% year over year, with comparable sales up 6.9%. Urban Outfitters Inc. reported a 10.7% jump in net sales for the quarter, to $1.3 billion.
