Vanity (clothing)
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Apparel, Retail |
| Founded | 1957, incorporated in 1966 |
| Headquarters | Fargo, North Dakota |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Bottrell Families |
| Products | Clothing, Accessories |
Number of employees | 2,000 |
| Website | www.vanity.com |
Vanity, also known as Vanity Shops, is an American specialty chain of fashion retailers that sells apparel and accessories targeted to fashion-conscious young females, online and in-stores. The company is headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. The fashion retailer’s clothing items range in size from zero to 17 with pants inseam lengths of up to 37 inches (940 mm).
History
Emery and Ann Jahnke purchased the Vanity name in 1957 from a Dickinson, ND, dress shop where Ann worked. Vanity was incorporated in 1966 and the first Vanity junior fashion store opened in 1969 in Fargo, North Dakota. The first store was located in Dickinson and occupied 900 square feet (84 m2).[1]
In 1960, the store moved to a 2,000-square-foot (190 m2) location and opened a children’s clothing store in the original location. In 1964, the Jahnkes opened a Vanity store in Grand Forks, ND with one-third of the 3000 square footage dedicated to junior women’s merchandise. The Grand Forks store was so successful, the Jahnkes sold their Dickinson locations and opened Vanity 2 in Grand Forks with 4,000 square feet (370 m2) of space. It was the only junior women’s store in the state at the time.[1]
In 1971, Vanity 3 opened in downtown Fargo, ND. The store was part of a Concept208, which consisted of a music store, shoe store, candle and poster store, young men's store, hot dog stand and Vanity.[1]
In 1972, Vanity 4 opened in Bismarck, ND, Vanity 5 opened in West Acres Mall in Fargo and the founders expanded beyond the borders of North Dakota to open six stores in Colorado. In 1974, Vanity headquarters was established in Fargo.[1]
In April 2010, Vanity opened a new store in the Mall at Johnson City, Johnson City, TN. The store is the first the chain opened in the Tri-Cities.[2]
In July 2010, Vanity temporarily closed its West Acres store while it remodeled.”[3]
The new store design includes tall, glass storefront windows for better viewing into the store, a new lighting system, full-length mirrors, added lighting and wood benches in dressing rooms.[3]
By 2013, the Vanity chain had grown to 170 stores in 26 states; the corporate headquarters and distribution center remain in Fargo, North Dakota, along with the company's website, vanity.com.
Vanity.com
Launched July 2008, Vanity also serves customers through an online presence, Vanity, LLC.[4] Vanity LLCs services include merchandising, marketing and distribution. Its corporate office and distribution center are located in Fargo, North Dakota.
Online shoppers have access to behind-the-scenes videos, guides and lookbooks that educate them about frequently changing trends. The site claims to provide a user-friendly experience with options to shop by featured outfits, clothing categories, best sellers, inseams and more. [5] Vanity currently ships orders anywhere within the United States; expansion to international market is in the long-range planning goals.[6]
In 2013, Vanity changed its URL from "eVanity.com" to "Vanity.com".
Logo Evolution
The Vanity logo has been updated through the years and is currently a berry-colored script. With the advent of its website, the fashion retailer introduced an Vanity logo for all e-commerce communications.
In 2006, Vanity trademarked the tagline “Fashion that Fits”, supposedly referring to how the Vanity brand reflects its customers body types and lifestyle, as well as its affordable pricing.
Specialty Fashion
In 2009, Vanity offered new fashions that consisted of products made from recycled materials, sustainable resources, such as bamboo, and organic materials.[7]
In 2010, Vanity launched a new line of career wear trademarked “Style that Works”. The company also expanded its Vanity Premium Collection to include fashion tops and jewelry.
One thing that sets Vanity apart from other clothing stores is the range of sizes offered; Vanity offers sizes from 0-17 in tops, waist sizes from 25 inches (640 mm) to 34 inches (860 mm) and inseams from 29 inches (740 mm) to 37 inches (940 mm).[7] In 2013, Vanity launched a plus-size line that "is about accentuating and flattering your best assets" and offers 1-3X in tops and waist sizes from 14-24. By 2015, Vanity's plus-size line was absorbed into the main store, which still offers extended sizes but without a separate plus line denoted. Vanity offers a variety of trendy fashion from featured brands including Jolt, Grace in L.A. and YMI.
Philanthropy
Denim Drive
In fall 2009, Vanity[8] and its sister online company, Vanity,[8] teamed up with Cotton Incorporated to launch a nationwide denim drive to help rebuild communities adversely affected by hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters, through the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.[8] The COTTON FROM BLUE TO GREEN. denim drive began in 2006 and by mid-year 2009, had provided enough insulation to be used in over 180 homes in the Gulf Coast region of the US.
Vanity's role in this community service is to encourage and collect denim donations in each of their retail locations. The denim is then reprocessed to its original fiber state, cotton, where the metal and any embellishments are removed from the denim. After treating the individual fibers to make them fire retardant, the denim is turned into UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation.
Food Drive
In September 2010, Vanity and pop band OneRepublic joined forces to help Feeding America[9] “Share the Secret About Hunger” for 49 million Americans through an in-store food drive and CD sales.[10] The "Share the Secret About Hunger" campaign aims to raise awareness about food insecurity incurred by 49 million Americans every day at a national level as well as provide hunger relief for people in communities across the country.[11]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Going out of style". The Forum (Fargo, ND). May 10, 1997.
- ↑ "Vanity set to open in Mall with VIP Night, ceremony.".
- 1 2 "Trade Talk. "Vanity Temporarily Closed for Store Remodeling". Inforum.com".
- ↑ "Reuters". July 15, 2008.
- ↑ "1tshirtsworld".
- ↑ "Vanity Blog".
- 1 2 ""Rooted in Fashion: Vanity goes from dress shop to major corporation". The Forum.".
- 1 2 3 Thompson, Emily; Wohlman, Katie (September 11, 2009). "COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN. and Vanity Partner to CHANGE the World One Pair of Jeans at a Time" (PDF).
- ↑ ""Vanity, OneRepublic partner for hunger relief". The Forum.".
- ↑ ""Vanity and OneRepublic Team Up to Help Feeding America 'Share the Secret About Hunger' for 49 Million Americans". Reuters.".
- ↑ ""Vanity and OneRepublic Team Up to Help Feeding America". CNBC.".