HSN Newbie Carole Hochman To Compete Against Old Brand On QVC

Here’s a more lucid take on sleepwear designer Carole Hochman and her venture with HSN than we had in our blog yesterday, and we have Shannon to thanks for the insight.

Carole Hochman Bringing Her Jammies To HSN From QVC?

We wrote about HSN’s press release that announced that as part of the Naked and Comfortably You firms, QVC vet Hochman was launching a line on the No. 2 home shopping network next year. But QVC still sells various items of Carole Hochman apparel.

As it turns out apparently Hochman, like some other fashion designers, lost the legal right to use her own name as a brand. So the Hochman collection on QVC is not designed by her and has no association with her.

So her new HSN line will compete with her old company’s QVC line.

We guess when Hochman left her old company she didn’t have a non-compete clause, or at least not a lengthy one.

Carole Hochman Bringing Her Jammies To HSN From QVC?

What the hell? Is comfy sleepwear purveyor Carole Hochman making the ol’ switcheroo to HSN from QVC? Or is it a bit more complicated than that?

This week HSN announced it is partnering with designer Hochman, a veteran QVC vendor, and her company Comfortably You LLC to launch an exclusive sleepwear, lounge wear and intimates lifestyle collection on the No. 2 home shopping network on Jan. 26.

“Women today are looking for clothing that fits their lifestyles, yet provides a superior level of comfort,” Hochman, CEO and chief creative officer of Naked and CEO of Comfortably You, said in a canned statement.

“Our new collection offers women unmatched comfort and style with unique details, on-trend colors, and modern prints that set these pieces apart from the ordinary and expected. I’m thrilled to be partnering with HSN on the Comfortably You brand and in bringing consumers the choices, variety, and elevated sleepwear experience they desire with the comfort they deserve.”

Hochman’s company is a unit of Naked Brand Group Inc. According to HSN’s press release, Hochman left as chief creative officer of her eponymous firm Carole Hochman Design Group in 2013, so it appears to us that her old company is providing product for QVC, under her name.

http://www.qvc.com/catalog/search.html?langId=-1&storeId=10251&catalogId=10151&keyword=CArole+Hochman

But it’s the new company that she joined in 2014, Naked, that is working with HSN.

QVC.com still has a bio of Hochman.

Having spent years pioneering new directions in lingerie and sleepwear, Carole has mastered the art of anticipating trends and identifying opportunities in the market. As president and director of the Carole Hochman Design Group, she not only produces her own collection, but also fashions sleepwear lines for other esteemed brands.

Carole’s start in lingerie was by accident. While studying fashion design at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA, she landed a job at Bergdorf Goodman. After learning the business, she went on to design her first sleepwear collection for Bonwit Teller. Later, Carole worked at a small, New York-based intimate apparel design firm, which was eventually renamed Carole Hochman Designs.

When the economy took a downward turn in the late 1980s, Carole seized the opportunity to create affordable, comfy-chic loungewear instead of high-end lingerie. Fifteen years later, Carole was known for her soft-cotton knitwear, and she began designing collections for several major fashion houses. She also made her debut on QVC and has enjoyed great success on the channel ever since.

Carole currently lives in Manhattan and loves spending time with her two children and four grandchildren.

The debut of HSN’s Comfortably You collection will feature eight sleepwear and casual wear styles including a robe set, night gown and T-shirt, and separates including a bralette, yoga pants and a jacket.

The line will feature a proprietary “caressa” fabric to “provide the ultimate soft feeling with easy garment care that drapes beautifully around any silhouette,” according to HSN’s press release.

“With over 30 years of design experience, Carole’s expertise within this category will lend itself well to our customers, who value and trust the knowledge of established industry leaders,” said Vanessa Dusold, HSN senior vice president of merchandising, apparel and accessories. “We’re pleased to introduce our customers to this exclusive new line of sleepwear, lounge wear and intimates.”

QVC Virgo Designer Stan Herman Wants To Know Your Sign

We know we’ve been watching home shopping too much when we can predict what one of the vendors is going to say during a show.

That was the case last night with Stan Herman, who has done a clothing line for QVC for 16 years and is a fellow astrology buff. Yes, he brought up the topic of horoscopes, as we expected.

Witty Herman, whose specialty for QVC is sleepwear such as robes, during most of his shows will ask callers what month they were born in. He then figures out what sign they are, and tells them. 

“By the way, I’m a Virgo,” Herman said last night. The fact that we already know that bit of  minutia is a little scary.

We met Herman several years at a chic Fall Fashion Week party in Manhattan, and we told him we were fans after seeing him on QVC. He seemed delighted, and told the person he was with, “See, she watches QVC.”

Yes, normal human beings watch QVC. Ot at least we do.

We know it’s wacky, but we often ask people their astrological signs, just like Herman. We’re a Taurus, Scorpio rising, Moon in Pisces, by the way.

Herman’s appearance was unusual for QVC because there was a handsome male model showing off the designer’s men’s pajamas. We don’t remember ever seeing a male model on the No. 1 home shopping network.

A caller last told Herman, “You’re cute as a bug.”

“A bedbug,” Herman joked. 

Gotta love the guy.