Gilt Groupe has teamed with Nicole Richie for a full-price sale event of the celebrity-turned-designer’s House of Harlow 1960 and Winter Kate spring collections.
The sale will start Thursday at noon Eastern time and end at midnight Sunday.
Gilt in August ventured into uncharted flash sale territory when it offered the Tucker by Gaby Basora and Mulberry collections for Target before the lines hit the mass merchant’s stores.
“The House of Harlow girl is an educated woman, a multitasker and someone who isn’t afraid to take chances and wants to have fun with fashion,” Richie said in an interview. “This season I took inspiration from the way my mother used to dress, mixed with photographs of French gypsies, [particularly] the way they layer and mix and match everything.”
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Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Gilt’s founder, said House of Harlow’s Art Deco-inspired jewelry and Winter Kate’s luxe Boho style should find an audience on the Web site. “Gilt has over 3 million visitors,” she said. “We’re confident that within our base we’ll have a core customer who will appreciate the aesthetic. We’ve thrown around Nicole Richie’s name and the names of her brands. We’re very close to our members and get their feedback. We feel very good about this.”
Part of the appeal to Gilt consumers is getting first dibs on products. “[Nicole Richie] is a talented creative director,” Wilkis Wilson said. “We know our members will be excited to have early access to both of her lines. Shoes will be available two weeks before they launch in stores, and apparel, one week before.”
Richie curated the sale of spring 2011 looks from her two brands, including House of Harlow 1960 shoes, handbags and sunglasses and two necklaces designed exclusively for Gilt. She will be showcasing her favorite items in the sale, called “Nicole’s Picks.” Shoppers who buy a Nicole’s Picks item will receive a gift-with-purchase.
Wilkis Wilson said the Target designer sale “was very successful and perceived by members as a chance to buy collector’s items and experience [new] brands. We did full-price sale with Helmut Lang [in August] and Vogue’s Shop the Issue sale in January. You’re going to see more creative approaches to how we engage with brands.”
Gilt on Friday launched a celebrity stylist series with Lee Harris, who dresses Drew Barrymore. “Themed sales such as the LBD and riding boot sale are very successful,” Wilkis Wilson said. “It’s a pretty innovative way to offer up the product to our members.”