Karen Millen signs swimwear licensing deal with Heidi Klein

Karen Millen has signed a global swimwear licensing agreement with Heidi Klein subsidiary Beach Beautiful, with the first collection due to launch in February 2019.

The premium women's fashion and lifestyle brand said the deal, brokered by IMG, was part of its wider growth strategy which involves working with licence partners who are experts in their field to manufacture and distribute on brand, quality collections.

Comprising 24 pieces, this latest collection of swim and resortwear fuses Karen Millen's signatures designs with Heidi Klein's swimwear expertise. It will launch exclusively in Karen Millen's new Gatwick North Store when it opens in early February 2019 and will then roll out internationally in-store and online in late February.

Karen Millen CEO Beth Butterwick said: “We are delighted that this partnership will facilitate our being able to scale a broader holiday shop offering and lifestyle end-use for our customers. Heidi Klein leads the category in excellence; we are aligned in our high quality approach to each and every product. Our atelier ethos is the core of the brand and we see Heidi Klein in being the perfect partner for us to offer this new and exciting range to our global customer base.”

Heidi Klein CEO Eric Koby added: “Beach Beautiful Ltd, a subsidiary of Heidi Klein Ltd, is delighted to be working with Karen Millen on this hugely exciting venture. Heidi Klein’s commitment to quality, fit and design excellence will continue through the licenced collections, and we are thrilled to be utilising our scale by working with such a synergistic partner.”

This latest partnership comes after the womenswear retailer announced earlier this year that is was working with IMG to expand the brand, through licensing, into areas such as homeware, bags and small accessories. It recently signed a deal with Global Brands Group on small leather goods and accessories.