(Filed Under wholesale Lingerie News). In a wide ranging series of discussions and emails, Barry Revzen, the new CEO at DG Brands, which produces Dreamgirl lingerie and costumes, described parts of the firm’s history, his background in the industry and an ambitious strategy for the company’s future.

Revzen took over from the former CEO, Christopher Scharff, in November, 2017. Moving ahead he told BODY he plans to work with “major customers” to expand Dreamgirl’s presence in the private label arena, to push into the wig market with an extensive collection and to grow the company’s overall sales and international business.

“Dreamgirl will, for the first time, be entering into the private label market. We will be approaching major customers and offering design and great garments with different fabrications and a high level of skill in making and producing of these garments. We have amazing factories and will be able to offer samples and great prices to our customers.”

“We have added a new and very exciting wig line. We have more than 100 new wigs with amazing design and techniques that are both beautiful and unusual. Our wig line is by far the best and most updated wig line in our industry.”

Asked what the three biggest challenges are for the company right now, he replied, “Sales, sales and sales. I want this company to become a much bigger and much more international company. This is the biggest challenge we have. My sales manager Lorraine Imrich will add a great deal of experience and expertise to the Dreamgirl team and she will spearhead sales and bring us into the space we are looking to occupy. She will be in charge of all sales including the new private label offerings we will be making.”

Imrich, who joined DG in November, has had extensive experience in the footwear industry, including serving as the director of sales at Ted Baker Footwear, and working in the bridal and handbag markets. Asked specifically about footwear, Revzen said he has no plans to bring DG into that sector.

Which areas do hold the most promise? “The wig line is going to be a huge success. Other than the wigs I would have to say it is in the design and people that we have to support and help our success continue. Stores buy us for style, fit and quality. I think we are light years past our competitors in these fields. Our designers are the best as is our fit and our quality is unequaled.”

Other factors that make DG unique and different? “I am here. That is the most unique and different part of Dreamgirl. I bring 40 years of experience and feel I can add a huge amount to the continued success and future growth of this company. The next thing I would say is our amazing design. This has kept us innovative and at the top of the market for years. Finally, it is the DG team of people that all work so hard to support us and make sure through hard work and dedication to ensure that DG is on top of its game.”

When Revzen talks about his experience, it is indeed not only extensive, but has been closely aligned over the years with DG itself.

Revzen was originally from Canada, but moved to China to live in 2002. He soon began working as an agent selling a wide variety of products, which eventually led him to an order of 50,000 costumes that were sold “for carnival in Germany. The next year we picked up another customer in Germany with retail stores and he gave us about 120,000 pieces that year and then we were in the costume business. That same customer asked us to get him wigs from China and that is when I met Frank Chen who became my long time partner. Together we opened Partytime Costume and Lingerie (Yiwu) Factory. We began producing costumes in 2006. Soon after we incorporated the wig factory and the costume factory so that we have one entity with both me and Frank as the partners.”

Revzen continued his story, stating that “From the two factories we grew quickly to eight factories including: two costume factories, four wig factories, a factory that produces some of the fiber for our wigs and the biggest latex mask factory in all of China. Five years ago I sold my shares in the company to my partner Frank and moved to LA in 2013 but continued to work six months in China and six months in the States for the next two years. Since then I have decided that I cannot tear my family apart so much, and now live only in CA.”

Eventually the Chinese companies began to supply product to Dreamgirl, which, at the time, was owned by Scharff. When Partytime was in the process of becoming a public company in the fall of 2015, its prospectus listed Lovin Enterprises Inc., owner of the Dreamgirl brand, as a “major” customer. Other significant clients then included the Smiffys and Fever brands, Leg Avenue, Spencer Gifts and Spirit Halloween.

Revzen continued his story, stating that “After I left, Frank took Partytime and part of Styler Wigs public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Today he has several other ventures in the works. In 2015, I acquired a third of Dreamgirl and this also went to Frank as part of our deal. Since he owned one third he felt it was a good decision to buy the other two thirds and a company was opened that would own DG which belongs to Frank’s sister-in-law.”

“My background has always been in clothing as a manager and partner of the companies I worked for. My last job before leaving Canada was with a company called Jaytex of Canada which was a $60 million a year company when I left and I pride myself on being a big part of that. I was a minority shareholder in that company. Now that I am at Dreamgirl I will be applying the same values and skills I used to build Jaytex and feel that I can add a lot. Of course a big part of what I do is in cost cutting and I am very hands on so I will now be involved in every aspect of the business.” — NM

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Published 02-23-2018 by Nick Monjo