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Clothes launch for Figleaves

Lingerie etailer Figleaves will launch women’s clothing next week, as it looks to evolve into a fully fledged lifestyle etailer.

The etailer has invested £1 million in the launch of its own-label womenswear brand, Figleaves Woman, which will sit alongside other womenswear brands including Hudson Jeans, American Vintage, Citizens of Humanity and Splendid on its website. An own-label kidswear range is also planned for later this month and a menswear range for later in the year.

Figleaves is branching out into new categories to boost sales and offset falling online lingerie sales. Etail trade body IMRG said lingerie sales in February fell 14% against last year.

Figleaves chief executive Julia Reynolds said Figleaves Woman was positioned at the upper end of Marks & Spencer and just below more premium high street chains such as Whistles and Reiss. Prices range from £15 to £120.

She said: “I know we can’t make a complete business selling lingerie alone, it’s too fringe. Lingerie has also been impacted by the recession. I’d like clothing to become 30% of the offer within a year.”
 
Figleaves, which launched eight years ago, has yet to turn a profit, but Reynolds said the business was on target to make a profit this year.