Lam joins forces with Tod's and Modo

Designer Derek Lam is expanding his brand with accessories. He has signed licensing agreements with Tod's SpA for a line of shoes, handbags and small leather goods, and with Modo for eyewear. Both collections will launch in time for spring. Lam and Tod's have already been working together for a year. Lam designed the Italian house's capsule sportswear collection, which was such a success that the company has decided to extend the collaboration for another six seasons.

Lam will design his own handbags, shoes and small leather goods, which will then be developed by a team at Tod's. The company will produce and distribute the collection worldwide for two years, with the possibility of a three-year extension. "It's important for me to always do something that continues the statement of the collection," Lam told WWD. "To me, accessories always have to be sensual. They need to allow women to be comfortable in her own gestures, which is my overall statement in design." Chief executive of Derek Lam Co. LLC, Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, said he was in favour of the deal because Tod's "is truly global, and we always said we wanted to be a global brand."

Such an agreement is not Tod's first. "In the past, the Della Valle family has had several licensing agreements with designers such as Azzedine Alaïa, Gianfranco Ferré, Romeo Gigli, Christian Lacroix and Calvin Klein, but in the few years,Tod's has concentrated all its efforts in successfully producing its own lines," Claudio Castiglioni, chief commercial officer of Tod's, told WWD. "Considering the already existing collaboration between the companies in producing the Tod's ready-to-wear collection, and the good relationship with the designer (Lam), we made an exception."

Lam also inked a three-year worldwide licensing deal with US-based Modo to manufacture and distribute Derek Lam-branded eyewear, which will be launched during New York fashion week in September. The collection is targeted towards upscale opticians and fashion specialty stores. Schlottmann said that the Derek Lam business has grown 120 percent a year for the past three years and finally made a profit this year. With 45 percent, the majority of sales are generated in the US.