Ivy Park

Ivy Park is an athleisure clothing line owned, managed and operated by American singer Beyoncé through her management company Parkwood Entertainment, introduced in 2016.[1][2][3]

IVY PARK
TypePrivate
IndustrySportswear, apparel
FoundedMarch 31, 2016 (2016-03-31) ; 4 years ago
FounderBeyoncé
Sir Philip Green
HeadquartersNew York, New York
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsSportswear
OwnerBeyoncé
ParentParkwood Entertainment

History

Originally co-founded between Beyoncé and Sir Philip Green, Ivy Park launched a joint venture with Topshop in October 2014, and operated under the company Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd.[4]Initially set for the fall of 2015, Ivy Park's launch was pushed back to the spring of 2016,[5] with an April 14, 2016 official launch date to in-store and online retailers.

On November 14, 2018, Parkwood Entertainment acquired total ownership of the Ivy Park brand away from co-founder Green following allegations of sexual harassment and racial abuse.[6]

Launch

On March 31, 2016, Beyoncé officially launched the line by revealing two covers for the May issue of Elle magazine. The issue includes an in-depth interview where the star explains her objectives for the brand and its impact on women.[7] She said that her goal with the line is to "push the boundaries of athletic wear and to support and inspire women who understand that beauty is more than your physical appearance".[8] That same day, Beyoncé also released a promotional video, titled "Where is your park" that gives viewers a glimpse of her workout routine, samples of the clothing line and a narration explaining the origin and significance of the brand and its name: Ivy, representing her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, and Park, representing Parkwood Park in Houston where Beyoncé used to go to exercise and find personal strength.[7] She elaborated in the video:

I would wake up in the morning, and my dad would come knocking at my door, telling me it's time to go running. I remember wanting to stop, but I would push myself to keep going. It taught me discipline. And I would think about my dreams. I would think about the sacrifices my parents made for me. I would think about my little sister and how I was her hero. I would look at the beauty around me, the sun shining through the trees. I would keep breathing. There are things I'm still afraid of. When I have to conquer those things, I still go back to that park. Before I hit the stage, I go back to that park. When it was time for me to give birth, I went back to that park. The park became a state of mind. The park became my strength. The park is what made me who I am. Where's your park?[7]

The sportswear line includes tops, bottoms, swimwear, and accessories that range from $30 to $200.[9]

Ivy Park x Adidas

Ivy Park and Adidas have launched several clothing line collaborations together, having described them as "[unities of] two iconic brands, celebrating their heritage while creating uniforms of power."[10] Matt Powell, a senior footwear analyst at NPD Group, says Ivy Park x Adidas could eventually surpass sales of other Adidas collaborations, including Yeezy by Kanye West.[11][12]

Drop 1

On April 4, 2019, Beyoncé announced the first collaboration between Ivy Park and Adidas.[13] It marked the relaunch of the Ivy Park brand after severing ties with retailer Topshop. In a statement released on the official Ivy Park website, Beyoncé states, "This is the partnership of a lifetime for me... Adidas has had tremendous success in pushing creative boundaries. We share a philosophy that puts creativity, growth and social responsibility at the forefront of business. I look forward to re-launching and expanding Ivy Park on a truly global scale with a proven, dynamic leader."[14] The relaunch also aimed to put out shoes, performance gear, and lifestyle apparel.[15]

Promotion

A week before the official launch of the collaboration, Beyoncé sent various orange boxes to celebrities and fans to promote the line. The boxes ranged in size from full-scale clothing racks with the most notable pieces to smaller boxes that included shoes. Celebrities who received the box include Ellen DeGeneres, Cardi B, Kendall Jenner, Ciara, Missy Elliott, Reese Witherspoon, and Hailey Bieber.[16][17]

Reception

Hours after the pre-sale launch and 6 minutes after the main launch on January 17, 2020, the collaboration officially sold out on Adidas' website,[18] with the collection's popularity reportedly crashing the website multiple times.[19] The line was available in select Adidas stores worldwide, as well as Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Foot Locker, and Finish Line locations in the United States, on January 18, but also quickly sold out.[20] Many fans expressed their frustration and blamed Adidas' virtual "waiting room" for with not being able to purchase any items because of the short time it took to sell out.[21][22][23]

Drop 2

On October 19, 2020, Beyoncé posted a cryptic image on her Instagram page, reading "This Is My Park" with the four-word caption "DRIP 2 October 30". Beyoncé covered British Vogue's December 2020 Issue in Ivy Park x Adidas Drip 2. It was photographed by 21-year old Kennedi Carter."[24]

Controversy

In early May 2016, a front-page story of British newspaper The Sun featured allegations that Ivy Park factories in Sri Lanka were exploiting their workers by paying them $6.17 a day, below what they claimed was the minimum daily wage. A representative of Ivy Park responded to the claims by saying, "Ivy Park has a rigorous ethical trading program. We are proud of our sustained efforts in terms of factory inspections and audits, and our teams worldwide work very closely with our suppliers and their factories to ensure compliance".[8][25] As analyzed by CBS News, the minimum daily wage in Sri Lanka was $2.68, which meant that workers were making double the standard, disproving the allegations.[25]

In early April 2019, after the launch of Ivy Park's collaborative line with Adidas, news broke that Beyoncé had reportedly "ended a potential partnership with Reebok because the pitch team lacked diversity."[26] Nick DePaula of ESPN said that “She had a meeting at Reebok and they had a whole presentation of everything [...] and she kind of took a step back and said: ‘Is this the team that’ll be working on my product?’ [...] ‘Nobody in this room reflects my background, my skin colour, and where I’m from and what I want to do.”[27] Reebok has since "vehemently denied" the claims, stating through a spokesperson that "The report that Beyoncé walked out of a meeting with Reebok due to lack of diversity is categorically false. Our discussions with Beyoncé and her team continued for several months after our initial meeting. We are disappointed that false information is being reported as fact."[28]

References
  1. Holmes, Sally (March 31, 2016). "OMG Beyoncé's Fashion Line Is HEEEEEEEREEEEEE". Elle. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  2. Duboff, Josh (March 31, 2016). "Beyoncé Introduces Ivy Park, an Activewear Line". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  3. Carlos, Marjon (March 31, 2016). "Beyoncé's New Activewear Line, Ivy Park, Has Arrived". Vogue. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  4. Milligan, Lauren (October 27, 2014). "CONFIRMED: Beyoncé And Topshop Launch Activewear". Vogue. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  5. Fisher, Lauren (November 30, 2015). "Beyoncé's Topshop Athleisure Brand Gets an Official Launch Date". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  6. "Beyoncé cuts ties with Philip Green". BBC News. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  7. "This Is What Beyoncé's Fashion Line Ivy Park Means". Elle. 2016-03-31. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  8. Chasmar, Jessica (May 18, 2016). "Beyonce brand Ivy Park denies sweatshop allegations". The Washington Times. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  9. Carlos, Marjon. "Beyoncé's New Activewear Line, Ivy Park, Has Arrived". Vogue. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  10. "adidas x IVY PARK". adidas.co.uk. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  11. Golden, Jessica (January 17, 2020). "Adidas is banking on Beyonce for growth with Ivy Park athletic wear line debut". CNBC.
  12. "Why Beyoncé's Ivy Park launch could boost Adidas more than Kanye West did with Yeezy's". finance.yahoo.com.
  13. Taylor, Kate. "Beyoncé is partnering with Adidas to create new shoes and apparel and relaunch athleisure brand Ivy Park". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  14. "Ivy Park". Beyoncé. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  15. Thomas, Lauren (2019-04-04). "Adidas is teaming with Beyonce on sneakers, relaunch of Ivy Park". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  16. Carter, Terry. "Here Are All The Celebrities Who Were Lucky Enough To Get An Ivy Park x Adidas Box From Beyoncé". BuzzFeed.
  17. "Beyoncè's Brilliant Marketing Plan For Ivy Park Is Worth Studying". Vibe. January 17, 2020.
  18. "Beyoncé's Ivy Park x Adidas Collection Sells Out Instantly Online, Twitter Despairs". HotNewHipHop.
  19. "Beyonce's Adidas x Ivy Park Collaboration Sells Out Worldwide". ThatGrapeJuice.net.
  20. Tyko, Kelly. "Beyoncé's Ivy Park line for adidas selling out online but available in select stores Saturday". USA TODAY.
  21. "Beyoncé's Ivy Park X Adidas Collab sells out in hours". January 18, 2020.
  22. Business, Chauncey Alcorn CNN. "Beyoncé's Ivy Park x Adidas' line drops online and sends the internet into a frenzy". CNN.
  23. Gunn, Tamantha (January 17, 2020). "Twitter reacts to Beyoncé's Ivy Park x Adidas pre-launch". REVOLT.
  24. "Page Six". Page Six. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  25. Park, Andrea (May 17, 2016). "Beyonce's Ivy Park clothing line denies sweatshop allegations". CBS News. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  26. "Beyoncé Walked Out of a Meeting With Reebok Over a Lack of Diversity, Reports Say". Independent Magazine. April 6, 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  27. "Reebok Shuts Down Report That Beyoncé Walked Out of a Meeting with the Brand". The Oprah Magazine. April 5, 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  28. "Reebok Denies Rumors That Beyoncé Walked Out Of Meeting Over Lack Of Diversity". HuffPost. May 4, 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
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