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WWDSpecialReportSECTION II LILLY PULITZER AT FIFTY BRIGHTENING CLOSETS AND SPIRITS FOR HALF A CENTURY 2 WWD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2008 SECTION II WWD.COM WWD SPECIAL REPORT In the Land of Pink and Green Lilly Pulitzer’s team brings a modern touch to a venerable niche. The headquarters in King of Prussia, Pa. By Julee Kaplan the tropical lifestyle. And inside is no different — Beaumont and IT WAS JUST ANOTHER DAY IN 1993 FOR Bradbeer have created a little piece of Palm Beach, Scott Beaumont and James Bradbeer Jr. The two complete with sand-colored carpeting, wicker fur- Pennsylvania businessmen were working a trade niture with Lilly-printed pillows, photos of models show representing Eagle’s Eye, a preppy sportswear wearing the brand on the beach and a canoe an- label run by venture capitalist Christopher Burch. It chored in the entrance way. was there, where Bradbeer said, he experienced an Upon entering the building, visitors are whisked “a-ha! moment.” into a world where everyone who passes is all smiles “We were at this trade show and saw that the — dressed head-to-toe in Lilly, from the ceo on down. Lilly Pulitzer brand was for sale and that Lilly Employees are the best walking advertisements for wanted someone to resurrect it,” Bradbeer said. the brand. They — and, by extension, their families — “For me, it seemed like a no-brainer. I grew up with live the Lilly lifestyle to the fullest. Pictures of their Lilly since my mom was such a big fan. She wore it children decked out in Lilly hang in sun-drenched — she even worked in a Lilly store — and I remem- cubicles (10 percent of the staff happens to be ex- ber how sad she was when the brand was retired pecting soon-to-be-Lilly-wearing babies), and design- back in the Eighties.” ers anticipate a new fabric shipment like kids look So, Beaumont and Bradbeer took the idea of pur- forward to Christmas morning. chasing the brand to Burch. He wasn’t interested. Central to the headquarters is a huge glassed-in “We decided pretty much right away that we were courtyard, made to look like Palm Beach’s iconic Vias going to do this ourselves,” Bradbeer said. “So we shopping area. In this courtyard are fully grown palm did. We spun off.” trees, cozy bright pink couches and chairs uphol- Both men lived in King of Prussia, Pa., so they stered in Lilly prints, an array of dining tables with decided to set up shop there — Beaumont would be pink and green chairs and even a giant juice stand chief executive and Bradbeer, president. While it was (which doubles as a fully stocked bar for events). The far from sunny Palm Beach, Fla., where the brand atrium serves as the main gathering point for meet- was founded and Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau still lives, ings, lunch and a place where anyone in the company Beaumont said that she was all for the idea of head- can go to relax before heading back to work. quartering in King of Prussia and encouraged them In addition, there’s a tremendous warehouse, to open outside of a major city — in a more low-key, fi lled with product ready to ship to retail — part- suburban area. nered and company-owned stores, as well as to a ros- “She thought it would be better for us to stay fo- ter of wholesale accounts including Bloomingdale’s, cused without the distractions of a city,” Beaumont Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman said. “After all, she started the brand in a small town, and Harrods in London. In a nod to customer care, so it made sense for us to follow that path.” a team of people in the warehouse steam and iron Today, the brand does operate a showroom in New the clothes, in assembly line fashion, before packing York on the 21st fl oor of 550 Seventh Avenue, but it them into boxes. is still headquartered in a 100,000-square-foot pink This is also the place where legions of Lilly Lovers stucco building in King of Prussia. Surrounded by from around the country fl ock to for the brand’s bi- Scott Beaumont and traditional white and gray offi ce buildings, the pink annual warehouse sale. It’s then and there that they James Bradbeer Jr. and white Lilly Pulitzer headquarters is a beacon of Continued on page 4 CENTENO TALAYA PHOTOS BY 4 WWD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2008 SECTION II WWD.COM WWD SPECIAL REPORT Life in Lilly Land Continued from page 2 get the best deals on new merchandise, but it’s also the perfect time for these devotees to gather and catch up with each other. “They literally spend the night in the parking lot,” Bradbeer said. “They love it, they look at pictures of each other’s kids, catch up on each others’ lives and then we open the doors and they clean us out.” It’s these dedicated fans of the brand (hundreds of thousands of them worldwide, according to Bradbeer) who keep the company growing. Today, industry sources estimate the Lilly Pulitzer brand brings in about $75 mil- lion in wholesale volume annually. That’s quite a feat for a company that had a sluggish start — the second time around — back in 1994. “We had our best year in business in 2001, especially in the months fol- lowing Sept. 11,” Bradbeer said, noting that it’s the brightly colored printed clothing that brings its wearers to a “much happier place.” “I don’t know whether to be happy Shoes and bags are or sad about the downturn in the econ- The atrium at the headquarters. produced in-house. omy,” Bradbeer said. “Traditionally for us, it’s times like these when our busi- ness is quite good.” model. About 70 of the Jeeps were pre- with Carol Hochman, a new stationery nature Pulitzer prints throughout. This So, Bradbeer said, as the company ordered and, at $25,000 a pop, some of deal with Lifeguard Press, and three collection, wholesaling between $24 and celebrates the 50th year since Pulitzer the Signature store owners will not only fragrances, with PulsePoints LLC, that $425, is offered in limited edition runs. opened her juice stand in Palm Beach, be driving one, but they are also able to are ready to hit the market. (See relat- Jubilee infl uences the less-expensive he is planning for growth next year of sell them to their customers. (The Jeep ed story, page 14). merchandise meant for more everyday about 20 percent. And while he admits dealer nearest to the store will provide Its shoes and handbags, two prod- wearing in the Day Lilly group. that the brand always want to serve all proper paperwork and support). ucts that are often licensed, are pro- Day Lilly represents the biggest those dedicated Lilly Lovers (who reg- Also in the works are a pink-and- duced in-house. change for the brand. There are many ularly send him letters offering their green printed Steinway & Sons piano, That’s just a fraction of what the prints seen throughout, but overall, own ideas of what the company should a Hasbro Monopoly “Lilly-opoly” game company has in the pipeline. Now hit- they are not as busy as traditional Lilly do), now is a time to “celebrate our (where a player can buy property in ting retail for resort, which is tradition- designs — for example, there are tan past, but concentrate on moving the Palm Beach before “shifting” to the ally the brand’s strongest season, the and brown giraffe-print safari dresses, company forward.” next space) and a Florida’s Natural or- apparel has undergone a transforma- elephant-print tops, a blue and coral As brands such as Tory Burch, Milly, ange juice carton decked in Pulitzer’s tion. To help with this, Bradbeer has medallion-print silk dress and cotton Tibi and Trina Turk leapfrog Pulitzer famous prints. One million of the lim- brought in several seasoned designers tops in solid navy, white and pink. This in terms of growth, the company’s own- ited edition cartons will be distributed as consultants. collection, Bradbeer noted, was made to ers are planning an aggressive expan- to grocery stores nationwide. Gordon Thompson, former corporate become the “modern Lilly collection.” sion to stay in the game. The idea, Bradbeer said, is to contin- vice president of design and global cre- The resort line, which will be sold (Burch, incidentally, is the ex-wife ue to be a leader in their arena and to ative director at Nike Inc. and former year-round, focuses on traditional and of Christopher Burch. Her business, keep creating new things that honor the executive vice president and creative di- iconic Lilly prints — mostly in pink a direct competitor of Lilly Pulitzer, heritage begun by its founder, but still rector at Cole Haan, has joined Pulitzer and green, but some blue and yellow started in 2004.) excite a new group of shoppers as well. as a creative consultant, and Jeffrey manages to slip in as well. It includes “There are brands out there that are “Lilly was an innovator, a great Chow has signed on as a women’s wear sportswear, swimwear and dresses. just eating our lunch,” Bradbeer admit- American designer who made her way design consultant. Besides designing his As time goes on, Bradbeer said he ted during the company’s Jubilee cel- by being who she is,” he said. “Our job own ready-to-wear line, Chow was a de- plans to continue to carry on Lilly’s leg- ebration at the famous Breakers hotel is to keep doing just that, but in a mod- signer at Pucci and Perry Ellis.

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