Does the KnitWell Group — operator of Ann Taylor, Loft, Talbots and Chico’s — have another retail chain in the making?
KnitWell’s Haven Well Within brand opened its first permanent store, a 1,774-square-foot shop at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, Long Island, on Oct. 25.
“We are going to test and learn but we definitely see Haven Well Within as a growth brand. We’re hoping for more stores but no deals as of yet,” Bill Miller, chief marketing officer for Haven Well Within, Ann Taylor and Loft, told WWD.
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Haven Well Within offers a lifestyle collection of “easy-to-wear essentials” including loungewear, sleepwear, intimates, accessories, beauty and home products. The concept offers “off-duty” styles for a woman’s morning routines to nighttime rituals. Items include organic cotton tops starting at $48, cashmere lounge sets with T-shirts priced $158, sweaters priced at $258, joggers for $288, washable silk sleepwear separates starting at $98, and sherpa slippers priced at $148. There’s also a focus on holiday gifting, with an offering of “little luxuries” such as washable silk eye masks, candles, and cashmere socks. According to the company, the fashions are crafted from sustainable, seasonable fabrics such as cashmere, silk, linen, cotton and other environmentally preferred fibers.
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“We know Haven Well Within has tremendous potential,” Miller said. “To really get eyeballs and customers, Roosevelt Field is a great mall. It has huge traffic and we also know from our analytics that Haven Well Within is actually highly penetrated in that area.”
While no additional leases for stores have been signed, Miller did say Haven Well Within would consider “A” malls and affluent areas for stores. “We sell everything from cashmere to silk pajamas,” he said. “The product assortment is elevated.”
Aside from brick-and-mortar stores, “We are also open to testing and learning in other ways, such as with pop-ups, collaborations, maybe hotels and spas,” Miller said. “There are a lot of things we are talking about but definitely we want true brick-and-mortar, and to show up in places where our customers are.”
The Roosevelt Field opening follows last week’s closing of a Haven Well Within pop-up in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Denver.
Haven Well Within was launched online in 2020 but due to the pandemic it shifted from its stand-alone positioning and was integrated into Talbots.com. After the pandemic, however, the brand relaunched with its own website, while continuing to sell on Talbots.com. It has been growing and is currently selling at select Talbot stores, and on Loft.com and AnnTaylor.com. In November, Haven Well Within will enter the wholesale channel by selling on Nordstrom.com.
Miller credited Lizanne Kindler, chief executive officer of the KnitWell Group, which is owned by the Sycamore Partners private equity firm, with coming up with the Haven Well Within concept during the pandemic, as purchasing shifted to a stay-at-home lifestyle and dressing for comfort was a priority. For the launch of the brand, “We were a small team. Haven Well Within really started with just a planner, a merchant, a marketer and a designer,” said Miller. “We have grown double-digit increases every single year,” and KnitWell is investing more into the brand, he added.
Haven Well Within advocates mindful living and serenity. The interior is inspired by Japandi aesthetics — a blend of Scandinavian and Japanese minimalism — with simple cabinetry, natural cherry wood finishes, soft bronze and antique brass accents, and soft white walls with muted green tones. Large antique brass mesh pendants cast a golden glow, and there are handcrafted and sustainable decoratives sourced globally including ceramics from Italy, natural seagrass baskets, and a Goodweave-certified entry rug designed in Stockholm and handmade in India.
The storefront features oversized open fretwork cherry wood barn doors, polished Venetian plaster walls, and expansive display windows to showcase apparel and accessories alongside natural elements such as stone, marble, wood and dried florals.
The dressing rooms are designed with custom-made scribed arched doors and hand-done collages while branded wall statements and ambient seasonal video content set what officials describe as “a calming experience connecting the brand to nature.”
A grand opening of the Roosevelt Field shop is set for Nov. 8 and will be hosted by cookbook author, television food critic and chef Katie Lee Biegel.