With an early call time of 2 a.m., Josie Natori debuted her N Natori collection live on HSN this morning. The desginer created a brightly-hued ready-to-wear collection in an assortment of flattering silhouettes, complimented with a selection of her signature loungewear for ladies of all shapes and sizes. It seems Natori is settling into the television lifestyle just fine. BY DENA SILVER
That 2 a.m. call time is pretty early to kick off your collection!
It was, but for HSN that is primetime, because of the West Coast. As a matter of fact, they have a number of people like Jeffrey Banks, who has been doing a show at that time for a few years now. Of course, I’ve never done anything like this at that hour, but I kept myself up. I think since I travel so much, I was able to manage.
You must have had a lot of coffee.
Right, because I couldn’t drink too much champagne!
Can you tell us about the collection you debuted?
The whole collection is N Natori ready-to-wear, sleepwear, and loungewear, exclusive to HSN. I have a great admiration for what HSN has done in the past few years. We’ve even made the collection go all the way up to 3X in plus size, making it more accessible for all body shapes; even the bras are made for full figured women. This is a way for my brand to communicate with new customers who either find our line too expensive or don’t go to department stores to buy it.
How do you feel about selling your collection on TV?
I’m really eager to be on television and get an instant reaction with sales and on the phone. It gives me a chance to describe what each garment is about, but it’s also an opportunity to speak about the concept of the brand and the philosophy of each garment. In the store, you’re not able to tell that story. The whole television medium is a very unique experience, because it gives you an opportunity to talk about the story. However, you only have one hour to tell that story, so it is really about getting right to the point.
An hour is much longer than a fashion show!
That is true! The difference is that on TV, it’s by the minute. But their marketing department is great; they will be showing clips of my runway show and my interview with CNN along with the clothes.
What did you have to keep in mind in order to design a collection for a TV audience?
We introduced a wide range of sizes, so the whole collection had to be more forgiving. Also, you also can’t do busy prints on TV, so instead we did a lot of colors. I had to include variety becuae I wanted to give people a reason to buy each piece and if the entire collection was too much of the same thing, that wouldn’t work.
Did you enjoy working with HSN?
HSN really knows that they are doing and they have a really high per capita. The studio is in St. Petersburg, Florida and the whole process is very well done, it’s a very friendly atmosphere. I think that there is a wonderful culture there and it is very friendly! Mindy Grossman has done a great job.
See our GALLERY to check out the collection.
