(Filed Under wholesale Accessories News). “The Jacques Levine company is thrilled to be back in business producing quality leisure footwear for the customer who likes style and comfort,” declared Bruce Hausman, the man who recently took control of the label.

As part of the relaunch of the brand it will be exhibiting at the upcoming Curve show in New York.

Founded in 1936, Jacques Levine slippers were once found in many a lingerie boutique, as well as hundreds of other shops, “including all the premiere independents and major department stores,” according to Hausman. In recent decades, however, distribution dwindled, a situation he is determined to reverse.

Hausman is ideally positioned to engineer the renaissance. He is the owner of a successful shoe retailer, Footnotes in New Jersey, which has been in business since 1946 and has carried Jacques Levine for 56 years. Not only does he know the brand, but “we understand what the woman looks for in comfort at home.”

“The Jacques Levine Brand will continue forward with the true classics of the brand, which Jacques Levine has become known for. With that in mind, we have introduced, and are continuing to work on, more contemporary looks that women can wear indoor and outdoor. The introduction of the outdoor “slipper” has already been tested successfully in New York to Los Angeles and from Palm Beach to Houston. The outdoor aspect of the Jacques Levine brand was missing and we look to give that woman the comfort she expects inside the home to be worn outside as well.”

Hausman continued, “In adapting to the current lifestyles, we’re focused on developing a full line of indoor/outdoor leisure footwear – our latest indoor/outdoor styles carry the elegance that made Jacques Levine a household name while adapting to more modern needs and desires. For next fall, we’ll be producing suede and shearling leisure wear that can be worn indoors and outdoors.”

“The base line of classics, including the #4640 and #1221 in their full array of sought after colors, will remain. Our open stock program carries 4-10 mediums and 6-10 narrow. With our background in retail, we understand the value an open stock program can provide to the independent retailer. In addition, any size we don’t have we’ll custom make with an approximate eight week turn around.”

Hausman emphasized that it was the proven success of the brand in his own stores in Englewood and Millburn that convinced him to take on the endeavor in the fall of 2017. He added it is also now selling in such retailers as “The NY Fitting Room in Brooklyn; Peress on Madison Avenue in New York; Drawer Full of Lingerie in Boca Raton, Florida; and Rangoni Shoes in La Jolla, California and Palm Beach, Florida.”

Hausman’s first hand experience as a specialty retailer himself should be particularly encouraging for stores considering Jacques Levine. “With my 46 years of retail experience, much of it on the floor working with new customers and nurturing relationships with existing customers, we value the time that goes into every sale on the floor! We don’t want to see that time wasted by online discounting. With the advent of the online shopping, we completely understand the difficulty competing in an online retail environment where the lowest bidder wins. To help keep the playing field level and maintain brand integrity, we have instituted a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) Policy disallowing any retailer to undersell the suggested price. We’re here for the customer and here for the retailer just as much!”

Production quality is also of great concern. Currently, “All production occurs in Spain. We work very closely with our production teams to ensure delivery and quality are nothing but top notch as always.”

Retail prices for the existing collection fall “between $120 and $148. However, we are looking to expand the product line to include some less expensive, more accessible shearling and suede slippers made in China,” said Hausman.

“The quality will only improve as time goes on as our only focus is on style and production. Unlike the past, we will focus solely on slippers and leisure wear, and not expand into espadrilles or evening shoes as done in the past. Jacques Levine aims to once again become a household name for all generations.”

The East Coast contact for the brand is Debra Lewis at Debra@jacqueslevine.com, 917-562-6715. She will be at the upcoming Curve show. The West Coast contact is Jeanine Jassem at Jeanine@jacqueslevine.com, 818-266-0355. — NM

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Published 12-28-2017 by Nick Monjo