Arezzo — the flagship brand of Alexandre Birman‘s Arezzo & Co. — has kicked off its U.S. push at Macy’s and Belk department stores.
The portfolio includes Alexandre Birman, Schutz, and the recently-acquired Paris Texas, among several other brands that are focused mainly on the Brazilian market.
Arezzo, however, has a five-decade history and in 2022 reached $357 million in sales, up 29.6% from 2021, with nearly 6 million shoes and 1.2 million handbags sold. The Brazilian company overall has seen incredible growth, officially crossing the $1 billion mark in full-Year ’22 results, which is why Birman is looking to continue his aggressive expansion in the U.S.
“We’re taking advantage of the scale that we have,” Birman told FN. “This is going to take tailwinds of the production that we already have and that’s why it has such a good cost.”
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Launching exclusively at 100 Macy’s and 100 Belk doors and online, Arezzo is offering its styles close to a $100 price point.
“Arezzo has sophisticated styling with a focus around material and construction. The brand is almost exclusively genuine leather uppers, which are rare at this price point. The top tier quality of Arezzo’s product allows us to continue to deliver great style and value to our customers,” Chris Steinmann, Macy’s VP and divisional business manager of center core, said.
At the moment, Birman is focusing on the wholesale business in the US, but the brand has also launched its own e-commerce site.
“We are not going to rush growth. This has to be sustainable as it’s a new business,” he said. “Now, it’s our job to do the sell through.” In the first week since launching, Birman said they have met their goals and have already had planned the continuation of the collections through resort and spring.
Styles include sophisticated loafers, western-inspired boots, dress sandals and more. The exec expects ballet flats and mules to be very strong sellers. In Brazil, the offering tends to lean heavier on trends and fashion-focused details. In the U.S. market, Birman is focusing in on more wearable options that can be worn for many occasions.
“We found that, especially with the overwhelm of embellishment shown in the last few years after COVID, there was an opportunity to bring really well-made timeless styles and that’s why we’re having such a great result,” he said.
With many competitors within this $100 price range, Birman said Arezzo sets itself apart as a wholesale partner for the company’s speed to market. The brand is also providing all-leather products which is a major point of differentiation.
“Our goal for Arezzo is always to have a very broad distribution. And to get that done from retail, or e-commerce, when you don’t have awareness is very challenging. It was not easy,” he explained. “Imagine how many vendors and relationships Macy’s has with other brands. To carve out a space here was a matter of a lot of work but we were able to show how efficient we can be in terms of first margins.”
