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MEL EVANS / Associated Press

Dana Buchman merchandise is seen at a Kohl's in Jersey City, N.J. Dana Buchman, a mainstay at stores such as Saks, has been reinvented for more frugal shoppers. While brand-hopping can be confusing for some shoppers, analysts also see long-term benefits to both stores and consumers.

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Brand-new branding

By Anne D'Innocenzio

Associated Press

NEW YORK - Some of fashion's best-known names are playing musical chairs.

Faced with a consolidating department-store industry and eroding sales, some labels are cutting ties with retailers that sold their clothing and, instead, betting their future with one chain.

Liz Claiborne Inc.'s announcement last month that it was moving its namesake line to J.C. Penney Co. from Macy's Inc. and other stores follows similar moves by other major brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Dana Buchman.

"You need some sort of chart . . . with retailers and brands, where you are using erasable ink," said Michael Stone, chief executive of the Beanstalk Group, a brand consultant. "They are moving around so much."

The brand-hopping can confuse shoppers who can't find their favorite label. But in some cases it means shoppers will be able to get a taste of designer names that only two years ago were far from their grasp.

In the short term, such confusion may hurt the brand, Stone said. But in the long run, the label "settles into its new identity" and becomes a powerful tool for the new retailer to attract shoppers.

Some brands, such as Liz Claiborne, had been the anchors at department stores for years but have hit hard times. Trading mass distribution for better exposure at one store could help them revive their labels. Brands also benefit by getting more prominent placement in advertising and increased shelf space at the chain.

That's what happened when Macy's became the exclusive retailer of Tommy Hilfiger women's and men's sportswear; the exclusive partnership expanded to children's wear this past spring. Macy's has built Hilfiger's presence in women's and men's sportswear to nearly 600 stores from about 400 before the tie-up, according to Jim Sluzewski, Macy's spokesman, citing strong sales.

Tommy Hilfiger fragrance, home furnishings, accessories, and other products are still being sold at other stores as well as at Macy's. The clothing also is sold at the brand's own stores and Web site.

The deals ease what had become increasingly adversarial relationships with stores. Retailers have made more financial demands to help pay for heavy markdowns as consumer spending dropped dramatically during the recession.

The exclusive arrangements more tightly intertwine the fates of retailers and the brands they sell.

Dana Buchman, known for career clothes with touches of animal prints that had been a mainstay at upscale department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, has been reinvented for more frugal shoppers at midbrow retailer Kohl's Corp., starting this past February. Under the deal, Liz Claiborne Inc., the owner of the brand, has a team of designers creating the line. Kohl's oversees manufacturing and marketing.

The reshuffling is leaving the name brands' loyal shoppers feeling a bit rejected.

Beth Hazlett, an information-media executive from Pittsburgh, wasn't able to find her favorite labels - Dana Buchman and Ellen Tracy - last year at Saks and Nordstrom.

"I feel like they abandoned me in some way," said Hazlett, who had been buying both brands for at least 15 years. "I liked the way they fit and cut."

Hazlett doesn't expect to follow Dana Buchman to Kohl's.

"I've never been to Kohl's," she said.