BNET blogger Lydia Dishman spells out the many ways the fashion-savvy First Lady is boosting the bottom lines of apparel retailers and brands. She starts with a J. Crew cardigan Mrs. Obama wore to meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in April — a cardigan that the company sold out of that very day.
J. Crew might have been the primary beneficiary, but other stores that carry similar cardigans also got the boost — Gap, Kohl's and Macy's all saw a bump in sales and share prices.
"Last spring, Time Magazine touted Obama as a one-woman retail stimulus package," Dishman writes. "So far she's fulfilling that promise. If the trend continues, she could even help Isaac Mizrahi — whose plum-colored design Obama wore for the State of the Union address — (and) boost sales of his Liz Claiborne New York line. The collection will be sold exclusively on QVC beginning this fall."
Photlo by Alex Johnson
