LONDON — British knitwear brand Chinti & Parker is diversifying and moving into ready-to-wear with the fall 2019 collection reflecting the brand’s new offer. The strategy is to produce a 50/50 mix of knitwear and rtw in a bid to increase sales in the warmer months and tap into new markets.
“We want to enable our fans to look at Chinti for all occasions whilst allowing us to speak to a new audience with a fashion sensibility. Our new design director Laura Edwards has come on board to guide this evolution process,” said Anna Singh, cofounder of Chinti & Parker, a brand that made its name with colorful cashmere.
This is Edwards’ second season at the brand: She’s been driving the new aesthetic, integrating the categories, and focusing on layering and building outfits.
Chunky knitwear has been styled with satin midi skirts and tailored trousers, while cardigans can be layered over silk dresses and bohemian blouses. While the brand has stuck to classic silhouettes, it’s kept to its colorful aesthetic with polka dot and floral prints.
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They’ve also played with different weights for knits as well as introduced a line called Essentials, made up of best-selling styles such as the roll neck, crew neck and a cardigan.
“We want to offer our customer a small, ongoing capsule of essential 100 percent cashmere sweaters in a variety of six styles and four colorways priced at 250 pounds,” which Singh described as good value given the material.
So far, the response has been positive and, according to Singh, wholesale accounts have embraced the changes. Some 58 percent of sales now come from rtw and 42 percent from knitwear.
Chinti & Parker’s new brand strategy has also allowed the brand to expand into other key markets.
“The USA became our biggest market last season, for both wholesale accounts and e-commerce sales. Other key markets for the brand is South Korea, which is our third biggest market and we are also looking to expand into the Middle East later in 2019,” Singh said.