English Laundry, a Bluestar Alliance brand, is teaming up with luxury men’s footwear company Prodigy Brands to launch its own footwear collection highlighting its British heritage. The English Laundry footwear collection will be split into two categories, one that will focus on the brand’s tailoring history, and another, more casual reflecting the brand’s British heritage. The line will be available from autumn/winter 2016 and will retail for just under 100 dollars to 250 dollars. According to the press release, the focus on the design will be to mix “tradition with fun details,” while maintaining the “quality, fit and ingenuity” the company is known. “The addition of Prodigy Brands to our current assortment of licensing partners completes the English Laundry collection in both tailored and sportswear categories,” said Ralph Gindi, COO of Bluestar Alliance. “This is certainly exciting news for the department stores. The English Laundry customer is loyal and has a tendency of making multiple purchases during a single visit, now he can be dressed from head to toe.” “When we were approached with the opportunity to create a footwear collection for English Laundry, I immediately recognised the perfect fit for our company,” added Serge Abecassis, CEO of Prodigy Brands. “We were not in the market for other brands, but I felt that English Laundry had significant recognition and an established characteristic that would allow our design team to create a collection that is sophisticated, yet fun.” English Laundry was founded as an elaborate shirt line in 1984, and that has evolved into a complete lifestyle fashion brand. The collection now includes a selection of suits, jackets, headwear, cufflinks, watches, ties, fragrances, and accessories. Florida-based Prodigy Brands is a luxury men’s footwear company with a diverse roster of licensed brands including Zanzara, Silver Dagger, Joe’s, and Hart Schaffner Marx.
