Hartmarx Corporation announced that it has reached agreement with Airwair International Limited and R Griggs Group Limited, the holders of the worldwide license for Dr. Martens(R), to manufacture, market and sell a wide range of men's and women's casual apparel under the Dr. Martens brand. The Dr. Martens sportswear will be manufactured, marketed and sold by HMX Sportswear, Inc., a New York based subsidiary of Hartmarx.

    Eric Prengel, Group President of HMX Sportswear, stated, "We are extremely excited to be working with the group at Airwair International on the launch of the Dr. Martens collection. Our experience with Monarchy, the company we acquired last year, has shown us the tremendous value of a global lifestyle brand that has a unique cultural heritage in today's  contemporary fashion arena. We believe that the Dr. Martens collection will be very relevant to today's younger consumer who is looking for both fashion forward style and quality, and is increasingly shopping at specialty chains. We plan to partner with major retailers who understand what a huge opportunity there is in this area."

    The Dr. Martens apparel collection will be designed in New York. The launch collection will feature menswear for Fall, 2009 with women's to follow in 2010. The collection will reflect cutting edge fashion trends for both men and women ranging from sportswear staples such as denim jeans and cotton shirts to sweatshirts and outerwear.

    David Suddens, Chief Executive Officer of Airwair, commented, "We are very excited and pleased that we are able to partner with Hartmarx, a company whose longstanding values of quality and product integrity we share."

    Hartmarx produces and markets business, casual and golf apparel under its own brands, including Hart Schaffner Marx, Hickey-Freeman, Palm Beach, Coppley, Monarchy, Manchester Escapes, Society Brand, Racquet Club, Naturalife, Pusser's of the West Indies, Brannoch, Sansabelt, Exclusively Misook, Barrie Pace, Eye, Christopher Blue, Pine IV, Worn, Blue House Drive, One Girl Who..., Zooey by alice heller and b.chyll. In addition, the
Company has certain exclusive rights under licensing agreements to market selected products under a number of premier brands such as Austin Reed, Tommy Hilfiger, Burberry men's tailored clothing, Ted Baker, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Claiborne, Pierre Cardin, Perry Ellis, Lyle & Scott, Golden Bear and Jag. The Company's broad range of distribution channels includes fine specialty and leading department stores, value-oriented retailers and direct mail catalogs.

Learn more about Hartmarx on Apparel Search.

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