Neiman Marcus is advancing its “retail-tainment” agenda with an exclusive Balmain “Beach Club” capsule collection of 10 ready-to-wear and four handbag styles being offered through May 5.
The collection, priced from $1,250 to $4,150, is available at 10 of Neiman’s top stores, on neimanmarcus.com and via the luxury retailer’s stylists and sales associates working remotely with customers. The collection will be spotlighted digitally through a marketing campaign across neimanmarcus.com, the NM app and the retailer’s social media channels.
“We have created an elevated collection very much inspired by vacationing on the beaches of the French Riviera with beautiful, light summery colors and modern touchpoints incorporated into this baroque Pierre Balmain print (the Labyrinth) that Olivier pulled from the archives,” said Emily George, president of the Americas for Balmain, referring to Olivier Rousteing, Balmain’s creative director.
“My team and I wanted to keep this special limited-edition collection chic, light and easy for upcoming summer days and evenings,” Rousteing said in a statement. “But, of course, we wanted to ensure that the connection to the house’s incredible design history remained evident for those in the know. So, we started out by riffing on some singular archival references — including Monsieur Balmain’s beloved Baroque flourishes and the signature Labyrinth motif. Then we mixed in some of the strongest themes that we’ve sent down our most recent runways, such as an array of eye-catching bright pastels and some unexpected twists on camouflage patterns. And we’ve ended up with an offering that definitely channels the distinctive modern spirit of today’s Balmain.”
For the collection, Neiman’s and Balmain created a beach club-style installation at the Neiman Marcus store in NorthPark Center in Dallas. The 2,500-square-foot space is furnished with black-and-white striped umbrellas, lounge chairs, an ivy-covered pergola, ocean scenes and visual details using the Balmain archive print.
Neiman’s partnership with Balmain dates back more than five decades, said Lana Todorovich, chief merchandising officer of Neiman Marcus. “Pierre Balmain received the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion 55 years ago and, more recently, with Balmain activations, we are at the forefront of engaging with customers,” Todorovich said. “We did a Balmain Barbie activation in 2022 at Neiman’s NorthPark, way before the movie came out. We sold out certain categories within days. We knew we were onto something. Olivier and the Balmain have their finger on the cultural pulse of the moment,” Todorovich said. The following year, Neiman’s did a Balmain “summer set” collection. “It was also very successful,” Todorovich said.
She described Balmain Beach Club collection as “a celebration of high summer living,” adding, “Balmain is bringing to Neiman Marcus the spirit and color of the south of France, and an exclusive collection of 14 styles. It has this very fresh summer palette with soft yellows, blues, whites and, of course, the house’s signature details. We are in love with the chain-strap dresses and knit dresses. We think they will be absolute bestsellers.”
Neiman’s sells Balmain men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, accessories, children’s, swim and beauty at 27 doors, online and throughout the remote selling channels.
Talking up the Balmain Beach Club installation at NorthPark, Todorovich said, “We are bringing the French Riviera to Dallas.” That should go over with local customers, since Dallas is landlocked.
Neiman’s “retail-tainment” strategy, as Todorovich said, is all about reimagining store experiences, working with brands and designers to come up with imaginative and often complex presentations for shoppers that go beyond the usual retail theater, and collaborating on exclusive product often across multiple categories. In addition, retail-tainment can strengthen relations with brand partners.
Neiman’s launched the strategy in 2021. The first manifestation was the three-week Prada Coast installation at Neiman’s in NorthPark in June 2021, recreating an Italian beach with LED walls with live crashing ocean waves, sand, lifeguards, gelato and Prada’s summer collection set in a 2,200-square-foot installation on the main floor, and buoyed by engagements elsewhere in the store.
There have been other retail-tainment experiences, among them a Burberry takeover at Neiman’s in the Lenox Square mall in Atlanta; a Loewe takeover at Neiman’s on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, and an exclusive Brunello Cucinelli capsule collection by sisters Camilla and Carolina Cucinelli, with a day at a ranch in Texas. Typically, the installations/experiences stay up for two to three weeks and so far have involved several of Neiman’s top-selling vendors.
“We are definitely maintaining the pace [with retail-tainment],” Todorovich said. “We do 20 per year. We have a full calendar. The strategy is really working for us. Our customers enjoy the unique approach to engage with them in unexpected, exclusive, immersive ways.”
“Our goal is that we continue to develop these exclusive capsules with Neiman Marcus and we are very aligned in our emphasis on the store experience, and these immersive pop-ups,” George said.
Separately, Balmain launched its “Jolie Madame” handbag last February exclusively with Neiman Marcus in North America at the retailer’s top 10 doors.
George said that for Balmain, “Neiman Marcus is one of our top wholesale partners, globally.”
