The Juicy Story of Juicy Couture
 Juicy Couture Handbag Price: $262.00 |
If the world seems to be getting a little hotter, it may not be due to global warming, but rather to the global wearing of Juicy Couture. Juicy is everywhere today. It’s casual and cocktail. It's handbags, jewelry, perfume and shoes. It's men, women, and children. It’s equally part classy and part sassy. Men and women alike can’t seem to get enough of it. Even though Reese, Gwyneth, Madonna, Brad, Kevin, and Ben all wear Juicy, this modern marvel of exquisite fashion is less expensive than many other labels such as Prada and Louis Vuitton, so the soccer mom next door can afford to wear it too!
Juicy Couture began modestly when Gela Nash-Taylor, while pregnant, had a difficult time finding maternity clothes that she liked. So she and her good friend Pam Skaist-Levy purchased loads of plain looking vintage jeans. With a lot of hard work and their keen design sense, Gela and Pam converted the jeans into a successful line of maternity wear. From there, Pam and Gela learned the ropes of the fashion industry and in 1997, with $200 and a revolving line of credit they founded Juicy Couture. Refusing to take a salary for the first two years, Gela and Pam invested all of their profits back into the company, paying off loans and helping the company grow to what it is today.
One key difference between Juicy Couture and many other fashion companies is that neither Gela or Pam have any formal training in the fashion industry They simply create and sell what they want to have in their own closets, and in the closets of their husbands and kids. "We know what we like," says Nash-Taylor, and fortunately for them, they seem to know what everyone else likes too! Juicy Couture’s lines have expanded quickly, but thoughtfully. Women loved the casual "lifestyle clothes," so the company added men's and kids’ lines as well. Accessories, watches, jewelry and swimwear were added as well. Gela and Pam found that they didn't want to wear other designers' clothes at night, so they launcheda new line called Couture Couture or "Juicy After Dark", a line of cocktail and evening wear. This past summer, their first fragrance debuted, adding even more appeal to their already hot apparel. And this year, 17 new free-standing Juicy Couture stores will join the four already open. "We have so many ideas and plans," says Nash-Taylor.
In 2003, Juicy Couture was purchased by Liz Claiborner for a reported 53 million dollars. The deal includes a share of all future profits, but Gela and Pam are still responsible for the creative direction of the company, and with their talent and knack for knowing what people want, they are sure to be around for quite some time.