Billy Reid Reflects on 20 Years of Ups and Downs in Business, Plots Growth

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More stores, an expanded women's collection and the return of the Shindig festival are all in the works for the Alabama-based designer Billy Reid.

marking the 20th anniversary of his eponymously named label, he’s also bringing back his popular Shindig festival after a five-year hiatus.Reid hosted annually in his hometown of Florence, Ala., until it was forced to pause because of the pandemic, will also serve as a celebration of his two-decade milestone with a runway show featuring his newest collections as well as a few of his greatest hits.

He did freelance design work to pay the bills but he never gave up the dream of returning to the fashion arena with his own collection. So in 2004, he started Billy Reid. While many of the key pieces are still in the line, Reid said that during the pandemic, production of a lot of the line was halted, including the womenswear.

He acknowledged that Reid is known as a men’s designer but believes women’s has a bright future. And while the category is not wholesaled now, that may come in the future. “It’s all on the table,” Zens said. “There are wholesale accounts that have been asking to sell women’s and we haven’t made that available yet because we needed to get our house in order first.”

“It’s a diversification strategy,” Zens said, “so that when Nordstrom doesn’t work, we’re not left holding the inventory or the financial burden. And now, a few years in, we’re seeing some really good results with key accounts in local geographies. It supports brand building and customer acquisition awareness.”

Reid pointed to the Knot Standard stylists, who have strong followings, as key to the transition. “We can offer that customer that has been getting custom, the opportunity to also get some ready-to-wear, get it immediately with someone that they trust to outfit them and build their wardrobe.” “We did get a lot of traction with people interested in doing more of a buyout, whether it was right now or later on,” Zens revealed. “But those are not conversations that we’re looking for right now.”

 

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