Can BCBG truly make a comeback in the era of Y2K fashion?

Children born more than a decade into the new millennium have been flocking to Y2K-popular brands and styles.

The post Can BCBG truly make a comeback in the era of Y2K fashion? appeared first on Inside Retail Australia.

Of all the popular fashion brands in the ’90s and early 2000s, few can rival the legacy of BCBG and its sister labels BCBG Max Azria and BCBG Generation.

Once positioned at the pinnacle of the American apparel industry, the BCBG Max Azria Group faced a series of fiscal and operational difficulties, which led it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 28, 2017. 

But now it appears to be attempting a comeback. Last week, brand licensing company Marquee Brands announced its strategic partnerships with G-III Apparel and Group JS International to revive the BCBG fashion house to its former status in the industry.  

The plan seems to have been a long time coming, considering that Marquee Brands acquired the BGBC portfolio and related intellectual property in August 2017. 

“This moment marks a defining point in BCBG’s evolution,” Rachel Terrace, Marquee Brands’ chief brand officer, stated. 

“G-III’s robust expertise and infrastructure, coupled with JS’s mastery in occasion wear, will expand and enrich our product offerings. These transformative collaborations with two leading partners reinforce BCBG’s commitment to setting new standards in fashion and celebrating confident, stylish women.”

Marquee Brands is expected to launch new collections for BCBG, BCBG Max Azria and BCBG Generation in 2025, with G-III Apparel overseeing design for women’s dresses, ready-to-wear separates, sportswear and swimwear products for BCBG Generation and BCBG in the US and Canada, and Group JS International focusing on ready-to-wear and occasion wear for BCBG Max Azria.

What happened to BCBG?

BCBG, an abbreviation of the French expression ‘Bon Chic, Bon Genre’ (Good Style, Good Class), was originally launched in 1989.

The fashion brand and its sister labels BCBG Max Azria and BCBG Generation captured the American public’s attention with their assemblage of accessibly-priced designer pieces worn by everyday trendsetters and celebrities, including Alicia Keys and Halle Berry. 

However, as the adage goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. 

Marie Driscoll, a chartered financial analyst and a professor at Parsons, The New School and the Fashion Institute of Technology, explained that BCBG was “a victim of fashion trends, online penetration with its expensive and high returns rates, too many stores (including the brand’s iconic flagships) and shopping alternatives of Rent the Runway and The RealReal”.

The company’s downfall was almost inevitable thanks to factors like the exponential rise in competition and an inability to keep up with changing consumer style preferences and shopping trends, such as a growing demand for omnichannel offerings rather than solely physical locations.

Can the company make a true comeback?

With the announcement of the alliance between Marquee Brands, G-III Apparel and Group JS International, industry experts have been debating BCBG’s chances for a retail makeover. 

Driscoll theorised that the BCBG legacy has a decent shot of reviving itself, noting that, “2024/2025 is a great time for the renaissance of the BCBG family of brands as occasion-wear is on the uptick and an iconic brand can resonate with a new generation of shoppers, as well as the Millennials and GenX [shoppers] who remember the brand”.

For the past few years, brands that were popular in the ’90s and early 2000s, such as Juicy Couture and Baby Phat, have been having a major moment in the public eye, a fashion aesthetic that has been dubbed Y2K-style. 

Children and pre-teens born more than a decade into the new millennium have been flocking to Y2K-popular brands and styles, such as cargo pants or trucker hats, in mass droves and have been aiding in the revival of these once-thriving companies. 

As Driscoll noted, the exponential rise of occasion wear could also bolster BCBG’s revival. 

According to research conducted by leading consulting firm Verified Market Reports, the formal wear market size was valued at $100 billion in 2023. This market segment is expected to reach $150 billion by the end of 2030 with a compound annual growth rate of 5.96 per cent in the forecast period between 2024 to 2030. 

This can be seen in the revival of Abercrombie & Fitch Co, which, similar to BCBG, also had its original heyday in the early aughts. 

With an updated look, more inclusive marketing and product offerings, and a focus on formal wear with the launch of the A&F Wedding Shop, the once nearly-dead apparel brand has made a successful comeback.

Perhaps following Abercrombie & Fitch Co’s example, Marquee Brands, G-III Apparel and Group JS International can return the BCBG name to its former glory. 

“Unshackled from nearly 200 stores, and with the ability to seek out the right wholesale opportunities, the BCBG brand can restore the fashion POV and excitement the brand once had and attract new shoppers, employing prevailing brand activation strategies, such as social media, celebrity influencers and more,” Driscoll mused. 

“Marquee has chosen strong partners to execute sourcing and supply, category expertise, and retail/brand relationships, while it focuses on brand dynamics. Not a sure thing, but it’s easier to dust off and restore a once-loved brand than it is to create an entirely new brand.”  

Neil Saunders, managing director and retail analyst at GlobalData, had a bit more of a cynical perspective.

“Marquee Brands rescued various BCBG brands from bankruptcy, there is a sense that they have remained on the back foot for several years,” he commented. 

“They’ve just sort of been chugging along without making much noise or doing anything of great impact. The new partnerships with G-III Apparel Group and JS Group seem to be an attempt to revive the fortunes of the brands.

“Both groups bring expertise in apparel design and manufacture, something that is desperately needed if the BCBG labels are to gain more traction with consumers. That said, this isn’t just about the technicalities of producing apparel, it’s also about creating a compelling vision for the brands so that they stand out better in a very crowded market.”

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