Henri Bendel
Influence
Henri Bendel, a milliner by trade, was the first retailer to bring the designs of Coco Chanel over to the United States from Paris. Today, the company maintains this tradition of introducing influential socialites to what’s new and now in fashion by maintaining close associations with designers including Anna Sui, Stephen Burrows, Rick Owens and Diane von Furstenberg. Bendel’s also fosters the work of upcoming designers through its semi-annual “Open-See” events, at which vendors can present merchandise to corporate buyers on a “first come, first seen” basis, with the chance that their pieces will be selected for a trunk show or even for sale in the Fifth Avenue store.
The brand is well-known for its iconic brown-and-white striped shopping bags, its signature hatboxes and an extensive matching line of cosmetics bags. Henri Bendel-brand cashmere and merino wool sweater collections, available in variety of styles and colors, are also famous. It regularly features “Girls Night Out” special shopping evenings for charity.
In April 2009 Henri Bendel made the decision to stop carrying apparel, choosing instead to focus on accessories, cosmetics, and home items such as candles. The company announce six smaller shops would open in malls across the country in the coming month. These include Somerset Collection in Troy, which opened in July, NorthPark Center in Dallas, which opened in September, and The Mall at Short Hills, King of Prussia Mall, Beverly Center, and South Coast Plaza, which will also open in the fall.
Ownership & Leadership
Interior of the Henri Bendel retail store
Henri Bendel is owned by Limited Brands based in Columbus. The personality most associated with Henri Bendel is Geraldine Stutz, who was its president for twenty-nine years until 1986 when the store was sold to Limited. She introduced the famous “Street of Shops”, the boutiques-within-a-specialty-store concept which later gained wide popularity at the store’s former location on 57th Street in New York City.
Bendel is currently helmed by CEO Ed Bucciarelli, an enthusiastic designer and eccentric merchandiser formerly of Liz Claiborne Accessories. Bucciarelli has been a key proponent of Bendel’s shift into private-label merchandise, and he has been a driving force behind the rollout of smaller boutiques solely carrying Bendel-branded merchandise into niche U.S. markets.
Bendel on Fifth Avenue
Located at 10 West 57th Street for decades, Henri Bendel moved to its current location at 712 Fifth Avenue near 56th Street in 1990. The store is located in two landmark buildings, the Rizzoli Building (712 Fifth Avenue) and Coty Building (714 Fifth Avenue), and a new five-story building. The company was delighted to discover hidden Lalique windows during the restoration of the existing buildings. The store has four stories plus a lower level, an atrium with balconies, and 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of selling space.
The main floor is home to the Gazebo Shop and many cosmetics brands, most of them in limited distribution. The Gazebo Shop features the Henri Bendel accessories collection. You will also find hair accessories, home fragrance as well as bath and body products. Featured cosmetics brands include Mally Beauty, Freeze 24/7, Kevin Aucoin, Laura Mercier, M.A.C, Nars, N.V. Perricone M.D., Trish McEvoy, Yves Saint Laurent, and, on the mezzanine, Chanel. The store was also one of the first to carry Annick Goutal fragrances.
The second floor houses with their expansive costume jewelry selection, cold weather accessories, sunglasses, small leather goods, fragrances such as L’Artisan Parfumeur, and hair accessories
The fourth floor is the home of the Frdric Fekkai hair salon.
References
Categories: Clothing retailers | Companies based in Ohio | Companies based in Columbus, OhioHidden categories: Articles with peacock terms from August 2008 | All articles with peacock terms | Articles lacking sources from August 2008 | All articles lacking sources
I am a professional writer from China Products, which contains a great deal of information about flake caustic soda , boric acid borax, welcome to visit!
Processing your request, Please wait....
