Ashley Stewart to Supply Exclusive Collections to Walmart
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Ashley Stewart is headed to Walmart as the discounter’s premier plus-size lifestyle collection.
The move is in addition to other plans to add category extensions at Ashley Stewart to build out its presence as a lifestyle brand and shopping destination, according to Julia Klyashtorny, who is president of manufacturing firm Apparel Solutions and the chief creative officer of Ashley Stewart.
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Apparel Solutions and RA Capital are partners in Kinbow, the entity that acquired the majority stake in Ashley Stewart this past March. Apparel Solutions designs and manufactures proprietary and licensed-private label brands for retailers in the U.S., as well as in Canada, Italy, the U.K., and Japan. Over two decades old, the firm has extensive retail connections as a supplier to Walmart, Dillard’s, Macy’s, HSN, QVC and other retailers.
Klyashtorny’s firm has a Long Island City factory employing 120 workers that has a capacity to produce about 100,000 units per month. It manufactures for Walmart under its Made in America initiative for the Sophia Vergara and Scoop labels. And as the only women’s majority-owned fashion approved supplier in the U.S. for Walmart, that puts it in a special position to leverage its relationship with the mass discounter and manufacturing expertise to build out Ashley Stewart’s customer base.
“As a part of the collaboration, Ashley Stewart will supply exclusive collections to Walmart that will be available on Walmart.com and potentially in stores,” Klyashtorny said. “Walmart will brand Ashley Stewart as a premiere plus size lifestyle collection where Ashley Stewart would gain visibility and customers nationwide, especially where the customer is further from an Ashley Stewart brick-and-mortar store.”
She said Walmart and Ashley Stewart will cross promote and leverage to drive sales. The price points for the Ashley Stewart line, which are initially just for women’s apparel, are expected to range between $30 and $60. And there’s been discussions with Walmart about the brand adding other categories to its collections, including plus-size foundations, Klyashtorny said.
When Kinbow acquired Ashley Stewart, its new owners had high hopes for the brand, with specific ideas on how to grow it to its fullest potential through product extensions. They are already moving ahead on those plans, with a timeline set for later this year and in 2025.