Grey State, a new luxury apparel collection from sourcing company Noi Solutions LLC, is in full launch mode.
The contemporary collection, which hired Monica Forman as executive director in May, has opened 150 accounts for spring and is in discussions with major retailers. The former president and chief executive officer of Magaschoni Apparel Group has been consulting for the past few years and working in the nail color business, after spending 17 years building the Magaschoni brand. She left Magaschoni in 2013.
Grey State wholesales from $32 to $150. It covers all classifications, running the gamut from dresses and jackets to pants, mostly using French terry, jerseys and cotton linen. Designed to be streamlined with an edge, the line includes directional prints, elongated and experimental cuts, and easy silhouettes.
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“I grew up as a sweatshirt girl,” said Forman. “I saw women weren’t getting dressed and were wearing leggings and performance. Their lives are so casual and they don’t have time. I wanted to put together glamorous casual. They don’t have to wear leggings all the time.”
The company had a soft launch this fall. “I wanted to get my product out there and have all my ducks in a row. We’ve built a team across the country,” said Forman, who recently showed at Coterie. Grey State is based at 305 Seventh Ave. in New York.
Forman reports to Saima Chowdhury, chief executive officer of Noi Solutions, which she founded as a global sourcing company for apparel and accessories in 2009. Fully vertical from yarn to finished garments in knits and denim, Noi Solutions sources products for leading retailers. Grey State is produced in Bangladesh, where Chowdhury’s family owns factories. Chowdhury wanted to have a house brand, and thus, Grey State was born.
“Women are merging different aspects of their life to create a unique lifestyle that best suits their needs. Grey State gives her a wardrobe that enables her to live this fluid busy life with style and comfort,” said Chowdhury, noting the pieces are designed to work together.
Prior to being named president and ceo of Magaschoni in 1996, Forman was president of Kenar Studio, a division of the apparel company Kenar Enterprises, for four years. Before that, she was president of Leslie Fay’s petite dress division. Earlier she worked for such brands as Palmer & Palmer, French Connection and Jag Jeans and Sportswear.