Kate Spade NY Launches Lower-Priced Fashion Line: Saturday

Kate Spade goes Recessionista with their new Saturday line

Last week Kate Spade NY launched a new fashion line called Saturday.  It sounds like a recessionista version of Kate Spade NY. I haven’t seen any of the pieces in person, but based on the website, the clothes look cute and what a consumer would expect from Kate Spade: colorful, girly fashion with a touch of vintage thrown in.   I’m not sure why the Kate Spade brand wanted to expand to Saturday, but based on their website, I do have a few guesses.  Just like Ann Taylor started the LOFT franchise, Kate Spade has diversified to Saturday.

Kate Spade Saturday website

Saturday.com looks like a cross-over for the Kate Spade brand to a lower-priced, website e-commerce play with “featured shops” and customer loyalty points for returning visitors.   The clothing seems to be just a bit more casual than Kate Spade NY.   According to their website, Saturday, is “putting our own spin on casual, we’re channeling the carefree spirit of the weekend and bringing it to every day of the week with smart silhouettes, honest fabrics, and a sense of spontaneity.”  Interestingly, the brand Saturday brand launched first in Tokyo with a store opening on March 1st. Now Saturday is expanding to the US market via a website launch and social media campaign.  According to Forbes, Kate Spade may launch brick and mortar Saturday stores in Los Angeles and New York soon.

While the price point is lower than the parent Kate Spade NY brand, Saturday is not exactly cheap.  A glance at the website shows a mix of  dresses for $130-180, printed pants and rompers for $130-150, assorted bags for $40-$180, sneakers for $65 and necklaces and earrings for $20-$45.  There’s also an interesting assortment of housewares with  mugs ($10), teapots ($45), pillow covers ($25) and tech accessories ($25-70) for sale.  Kate Spade has needed a lower priced line for a while to lure in consumers.  Their sales on Gilt Group have always been big sellers, since many of us find the pricing on Kate Spade items a bit more than we would like to spend.  It will be interesting to see if the Saturday brand will be able to lure Kate Spade lovers wanting a lower priced point.  After all, according to the old nursery rhyme “Saturday’s child works hard for a living” and in this economy with a plethora of designer budget fashion lines flooding the market, I think Saturday will have to work very hard indeed.