L.A.M.B. Handbags Now Licensed with Artisan House

Thanks to our friends at Beacon Street Online and Julie for sharing a new Women’s Wear Daily article in which it is revealed that L.A.M.B. has severed ties with Schifter + Partners,the original developer of L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers handbags,and has signed a renewable,multiyear licensing deal with Artisan House. (Harajuku Lovers has signed a licensing deal with children’s accessories firm Fab Starpoint,of which Artisan House is an offshoot.) The debut collection with Artisan House was Spring 2012,which received rave reviews from critics and fans who got a sneak peek at the L.A.M.B. presentation back in September. The article quotes Gwen as saying that Artisan House has given her total creative freedom,and she praises them for being so passionate about design, quality and value,and Artisan House president Laura Mays says that Gwen’s aesthetic has evolved and that she and the firm wanted the handbags to reflect that change and not just be the same product. Mays goes on to say that L.A.M.B. has added more edge and sophistication to its handbag collection,and that the bags’ price points would remain under $500. Congratulations to Artisan House and Fab Starpoint on their partnership with Gwen and her fashion lines-we wish them the best and look forward to future L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers handbag collections!

Steve Russo is a gambler.

The man behind backpacks emblazoned with characters from Marvel Comics, SpongeBob Squarepants and Hello Kitty is the new kingpin of the contemporary handbag market, a sector known for being overcrowded, highly competitive and unfocused from a fashion standpoint.

Under Artisan House, the upscale spin off of his lucatrive children’s accessories firm Fab Starpoint, Russo has quietly amassed a portfolio of five contemporary handbag brands — and is in the process of signing a sixth before the year is up.

This month, Artisan House, which already owned Isabella Fiore and Danielle Nicole, bought handbag and apparel brand Foley + Corinna. It also signed renewable multiyear licensing deals with Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. brand and with Charlotte Ronson, which will launch its first handbag collection this fall.

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For L.A.M.B., Artisan House will work to reposition the brand to appeal to a more fasion-oriented consumer, a move the brand’s founder Gwen Stefani has been eager to implement for some time.

“Artisan House has been great in giving me total creative freedom. They are passionate about great design, quality and value,” the designer and pop singer told WWD.

Along with L.A.M.B., Stefani took her other handbag line, Harajuku Lovers, to Russo’s Fab, effectively severing ties with Schifter + Partners, the company that helped to launch both brands.

Schifter + Partners declined to comment.

“We felt like L.A.M.B. was very young,” said Artisan House president Laura Mays. “It became increasingly difficult for Gwen to wear the product and feel good about it. Her aeshetic has evolved. We didn’t want to go back into the market with the same product.”

Looking to expand it’s reach, L.A.M.B., which recently collaborated on a punk-inspired spring 2012 jewelry line with Noir, has added more “edge” and “sophistication” to its handbag collection, according to Mays, who added that handbag price points would remain under $500.

Shoppers will see Artisan House’s influence on Foley + Corinna and L.A.M.B. in their Spring 2012 collections.