LOS ANGELES — “Gossip Girl” is about to get a lot busier.
Los Angeles-based contemporary label Romeo & Juliet Couture has partnered with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Warner Bros. Television Group, which produces the CW show, to produce a collection that will premiere at Coterie on Sunday and sell at Kitson, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue for fall, just in time for the series’ season five premiere on Sept. 26.
The collection, priced from $80 to $200 retail, includes embellished tops, bottoms, novelty sweaters, outerwear and draped chiffon dresses with touches of leather, pleats and prints, inspired by characters including Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf.
“This is Romeo & Juliet’s first entertainment venture, and ‘Gossip Girl’ was a natural choice for a partner, as the show is synonymous with fashion,” said David Shamouelian, chief executive officer of Romeo & Juliet Couture.
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The studio’s consumer products division has partnered before with properties ranging from “The Wizard of Oz” to “Catwoman,” but this is its first young adult television collaboration.
“‘Gossip Girl’ as the inspiration for a fashion line makes for the perfect design muse because there’s an endless supply of inspiration. It wasn’t a decision about whether or not to pursue this collection, it was about finding the right partner,” said Maryellen Zarakas, senior vice president of worldwide marketing and TV and studio licensing for WBCP.
The line will expand into handbags and accessories for spring, but the length of the partnership has yet to be determined. “We’re still working out the line plan for the future, but we have a long-term relationship planned that will see the line expand into other product categories,” said Zarakas.
The Romeo & Juliet collection represents the first time the show is officially branded as a clothing label on a large scale.
“We have done a handful of pop-up, short-term apparel projects in the past, but Gossip Girl by Romeo & Juliet Couture is the first to create a contemporary and accessible line of apparel that gives us a platform to bring that signature fashion inspiration to the public in a more significant way,” said Sonia Borris, senior vice president, marketing and operations at Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing.