You’ve probably seen the reports like this one, Liz Claiborne continues to sell brands.
The company sold fragrance licenses to Elizabeth Arden and its European brand Mexx to a joint venture led by the Gores Group. The company also terminated its licensing agreements with Donna Karan International.
The most important sale is the one of the namesake brand to J.C. Penney.
Now the company has to rebrand itself with a new corporate name.
It still owns the brands Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand and Kate Spade.
And this is a herculean task.
Mars failed renaming itself to Masterfoods and went back after a few years. Was or is Altria a success? Not really, since reporters still have to mention Philip Morris.
And both companies had millions to spend on communication, which the company formerly known as Liz Claiborne cannot do.
The next generation will decide.