Neiman Marcus pairs up with Givenchy for Plage Collection

By

Roxanne Robinson

Published
May 18, 2023

​It's roughly 280 miles from Dallas to an ocean beach along the Texas Coast. Neiman Marcus figures that if you can't get to the beach, they will bring the beach to their clients. For the last two weeks of May, the tony department store will reference a sand-and-surf reality for its North Park customers to promote the Givenchy Plage Collection.

While the collection is available at 11 Neiman Marcus stores, just its flagship will transport its customers to a beach cabana vibe via unique display stools that recall ocean waves, a Sisel 4-G logo rug, and a massive floor-to-ceiling 4-G logo crafted with raffia. Don't expect to find palm leaves, beach chaise loungers, or drinks with colorful umbrellas usually served in a Tiki bar.

This being Givenchy, the effect is sleeker and polished with strategic bursts of light illuminating the base of the display racks, reminiscent of a nightclub.

The space follows 2021's Prada Beach and last year's Prada Tropico activations that kicked off the summer season. These are the 'beyond the pop-up' experiences popular with the retailer.

"We continue to bring differentiated experiences to our customers, inspiring and engaging them with our curated product assortments and exclusive activations," said Lana Todorovich, chief merchandising officer at Neiman Marcus.

"Givenchy is a longstanding brand partner, and we are excited to bring a taste of summer in the South of France to our stores and digital channels through the Plage Collection." 

The assortment features close to 50 styles of both men's and women's offerings across categories such as RTW, sunglasses, shoes, bags, and of course, a bathing suit or two in a pearl print, and leans into the brand's iconic 4-G logo, terry cloth, and cotton poplin. Highlights include a pink caftan, crochet-effect knitwear, the Voyou Raffia Basket Tote, and the brands' Marshmallow slides. At least twelve women's styles will be exclusive to the retailer.

Givenchy's creative director Matthew M. Williams looked to the founder's 1952 beachwear, presumably heavily influenced by the designer's French Riviera beach home in the south of France, 'Le Clos Fiorentina,' in Cap Ferrat, when launching Givenchy Plage. While William's sexy sirens, who seem to prefer a night club to beach club vibe, may not immediately scream 'holiday-by-the-shore,' the house signatures lend themselves to a modern and sporty selection of vacation-geared clothes and accessories.

The launch reflects a more significant trend in luxury, which has seen the success of beachwear lines such as Loewe's Paula's Ibiza, Prada Tropico, and Dior's cheerful toile-inspired 'Dioriviera' collection in recent years.

The latter opened pop-up shops in spots such as Ibiza, Porto Cervo, Forte dei Marmi, Capri, Mykonos, Cortina, and Bodrum at least since 2020—that fateful summer post-Covid lockdown when Europeans flocked to their favorite vacation spots to fuel the second European Covid-19 wave that October.

Through May 30, Plage is available across all three facets of its integrated retail model: in stores, online, and through remote selling, with support amplified digitally on NM.com, the NM App, and its social media channels. Customers can interact with style advisors through its proprietary remote selling platform Connect.