Frances Valentine is coming to King Street, into the space Croghan's Jewel Box left behind when it moved farther south. It is the brand's first store in South Carolina, and at 1,600 square feet it will be one of its largest anywhere.
The label was founded in 2016 by the late Kate Spade and her business partner Elyce Arons, two best friends who had already built and sold one company together. It is named for members of Spade's family. Arons is the CEO.
Six years of looking
Arons first told the Post & Courier she was eyeing Charleston back in 2020, along with Dallas. It took until now to find the right room.
"I love Southern women because they're not afraid to dress up," she said. "We do a lot of occasion pieces and a lot of color, and it's something that's unique about the South. People aren't afraid to wear color, which I love."
The lease is signed and the store opens in early fall. Charleston gets the full collection.
The sweater story
Here is the part worth the read.
One of the label's signature pieces is the Darling sweater, a button-down cardigan modeled on a vintage piece from Darlene Knitwear, a company that ran from 1940 to the mid-1970s. When Arons and Spade wanted to bring it back, they went looking for whoever held the rights. Attorneys. Private detectives. Copyright searches, artist by artist.
They found nobody. So they made their own version as an homage and put it out.
In 2020 a letter arrived from Washington, D.C. Arons braced for a cease and desist.
"But it was from a woman who said, 'My father owned Darlene Knitwear. He sold the company and it was broken up into pieces and no longer exists. I was brought to tears when I saw your sweater because you brought my father's vision back to life.'"
Then the last turn. "Darling" had never been a product name. It was the father's nickname for his daughter.
The sweater is still one of the label's best sellers, reissued every season in a new print or floral.
The math
The first Frances Valentine opened on Madison Avenue in 2016. Eight more followed across Florida, Virginia, Texas, Alabama and Georgia. Charleston makes an even ten.
This is a summary of an article published in the Post & Courier. Click here if you'd like to read that article.
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