Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamel Skaist-Levy became best friends while working in the same boutique in Los Angeles, 1988. When Nash-Taylor became pregnant, she realized the lack of comfortable, fashionable clothing for expectant mothers. Nash-Taylor and Skaist-Levy decided to create a line of cute and comfortable maternity jeans, known as “Travis Jeans” for the “Baby in You,” which resonated with pregnant women in 1994. However, once the pair felt they were no longer in touch with the maternity market, they decided to try something new.
Nash-Taylor and Skaist-Levy worked to create a flattering, luxury V-neck while focusing on the fit, fabric, comfort, and color. Once their desired design was perfected, they released the V-neck in 26 different colors under their new brand name: Juicy Couture.
Juicy Couture’s catalog expanded as the brand grew in popularity, adding accessories and jeans to the mix. Despite this, the founders felt as though their brand was not luxurious enough.
They turned to brands they adored in the 1960s to ‘70s for inspiration and developed the idea to use terry cloth. With this new fabric and the desire to create incredibly flattering clothing, Juicy Couture released their velour tracksuits for $155 in 2001, which would grow to become an early 2000s fashion staple.
The tracksuit soon caught the public’s eye as they saw celebrities, such as Brittney Spears and Madonna, strutting around in them. The founders did not have the funds for traditional advertising, so they resorted to gifting celebrities their velour tracksuits, marketing based on observations from celebrity magazines. Soon, Juicy Couture was being sold at upscale department stores.
In 2003, Juicy Couture was sold to Liz Claiborne, now known as Kate Spade, for $226 million. The colorful clothing and the classic “Juicy” logo enticed people to continue buying from the brand.
From 2006 to 2007, Juicy Couture’s net sales practically doubled. There were 100 Juicy Couture stores by 2008. Unfortunately, this newfound success did not last long. After the 2008 recession, people shifted toward minimalism, the complete opposite of Juicy Couture’s flamboyant branding.
Sales continued to drop in 2009 as simplistic clothing gained traction, and Nash-Taylor and Skaist-Levy left the company.
In 2013, Juicy Couture was sold to Authentic Brands Group (ABG) for $195 million. They closed all Juicy Couture stores; however, they planned to reopen them a few at a time as they attempted to rebuild the brand. Yet in 2014, ABG made a deal with Kohl’s where they would agree to sell Juicy Couture products, stripping their sense of luxury.
The unfortunate fall of Juicy Couture did not discourage the company, as it aimed for a comeback for years. A creative director was hired in 2017 following a collaboration with fashion brand Vetements in 2016, which rekindled a bit of love for Juicy Couture. There was a new collection release that debuted with a New York Fashion Week party and Paris Hilton. Furthermore, in 2018, Juicy Couture released a runway collection as well as two cosmetic lines.
Currently, even though Juicy Couture could now be found at the local Ross or TJ Maxx, there has been more of an appeal from teens and young adults to the brand, especially with the classic velour tracksuits and bags. As early 2000s fashion continues to grow in popularity, there might be a slight chance for once luxurious Juicy Couture to make a complete comeback.
