Newly Rebranded Clique Staffs Up
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with the recent rebrand, Clique, parent company of Who What Wear, MyDomaine, Byrdie, CollegeFashionista, THE/THIRTY, and Obsessee, has also repositioned its strategy from a traditional publishing company to a multifaceted digital and consumer brands company. Thus far, it has worked to create consumer products that bring its digital properties to life, including partnerships with Target on a streetwear line, Who What Wear, and activewear line, Joylab, with plans for additional lines in 2018.
"Media will always be our foundation and an essential part of our business as it is the vehicle used to build our communities of highly engaged women," says Katherine Power, co-founder and CEO of Clique. "However, we believe our future lies in creating a portfolio of highly valuable IP, which is expressed through media, experiences, and consumer goods."
Clique is using a portion of the money raised from its recent Series C funding to build out its consumer products division. Chief Brands Officer Sally Mueller, the newest addition to the Clique executive team, will head up the division and oversee all operations of the department, including strategy, development, marketing, and retailer relationships. Since joining in the spring, she has built up a team of 18 across offices in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York City.
Prior to Clique Brands, Mueller spent 24 years at Target Corporation. There, she helped lead Target's transformation from a regional discount retailer to one of the most recognized and influential global brands. Mueller was a key player in the development and implementation of Go International, Target's designer program, and helped forge partnerships with over 60 designers and exclusive brands. She followed her time with Target by taking the role of Chief Brand Officer at Cherokee Brands. There, she developed Cherokee's global brand vision and worked on several initiatives with globally admired brands, such as Disney and Nickelodeon. In 2010, Mueller started her own retail consultancy focused on retail and brand innovation.
"I was fortunate enough to learn early in my career the power of co-creation and collaboration. In bringing together the brilliant Clique founders with the incredible Target team, I saw the opportunity to further spread their insightful fashion advice from the screen to women's closets," Said Mueller. "There is such power in bringing great design to a broad audience. I couldn't be more excited about our future?developing innovative lifestyle products that we will co-create with our highly engaged Clique community and market through our always-on social channels."
Mueller's team is largely comprised of designers, brand managers, and marketers and is led by four veterans in the business: VP of Concept and Design, Gayle Smith; VP of Marketing and Development, Melanie Bender; Christina DiBernardo, Creative Director for Activewear; and Carly Willis, Director of Merchandising. Smith is a UK-trained designer and brand strategist with over 20 years of commercial experience in the U.S., previously working for companies that include Limited Brands and Victoria's Secret. Bender comes to Clique after leading marketing at Bailey 44 and at Westfield Malls before that. DiBernardo has deep and diverse experience in men's and women's sportswear and activewear and has previously worked at Ralph Lauren, Alo Yoga, Reebok, and Matuse. Willis comes to the team with experience from Prada, Nordstrom, and others.
This new division will continue to follow the consumer ecosystem Clique has developed over the last few years. By gathering data of the Gen Z girl's and millennial woman's online behavior, Clique is able to create media brands and consumer products that it knows they crave. After marketing the brands and products back to these targeted groups, they become Clique's biggest advocate. Clique has plans expand its thesis with a launch of a beauty brand in mid-to-late 2018.
ABOUT CLIQUE
Recently named to Fast Company's list of the World's Most Innovative Companies in 2017, Clique is a global media, marketing, and consumer brands company. Through its brands?Who What Wear, MyDomaine, Byrdie, CollegeFashionista, THE/THIRTY, and Obsessee?Clique combines the power of data science with its expert editorial team to create content and products that millennial women and Gen Z girls crave. Clique's two key marketing offerings, Clique Studios (an in-house creative agency) and INF Network (representing 55+ top bloggers and influencers), deliver integrated and native advertising programs, all while inspiring consumers to discover and shop. In 2016, Clique launched its first clothing line sold exclusively at Target under the Who What Wear brand, and is now joining forces with Target again to collaborate on their newest activewear line, Joylab.
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