Unlike some pseudo-designer celebs who launch new brands with massive ad campaigns and even bigger parties, Katie Holmes and stylist Jeanne Yang quietly launched their label, Homes & Yang, over two years ago with select press and sales appointments. This year, the pair have been touring the country and paying visits to retailers in LA, New York and Dallas, hosting trunk shows and recruiting new clients.
"It’s so rare, unfortunately, that I actually know people who are into crafting and doing stuff like that," Yang told New York Magazine. Sewing was an early bonding point for both women, who enjoyed making dolls' clothes for their children before upgrading to adult-size gear.
Yang, whose mother worked in a Los Angeles sewing factory before off-shore manufacturing closed its doors, insists on using USA manufacturers for the brand. "We can make some of the most beautiful luxury pieces here," she told New York. "Kate and I are always talking about how we’re Americans, and we want people to realize this, and so our price points—you know we don’t have the best margins but it doesn’t matter for us."
Surely the celeb factor helps subsidize any less than ideal margins, but soaring price-points make the brand tough for a layperson to approach (pieces hover in the $500 to $1500 range). Still, the Holmes & Yang concept priviledges investment apparel that will stand the test of time over trendy one-offs. "When you clean out your spring closet, what do you get rid of?” asked Yang in a recent WWD profile. “You don’t get rid of your Hermès coat or your beautiful Chanel purse. You want to pass it along to your daughter.”
