MANGO AT PENNEYS!

JCPenney is hopping on the European fast-fashion autostrada by teaming up with Mango to put MNG by Mango shops in select Penney stores and online starting this past Wednesday.


Based in Barcelona, Spain, Mango has more than 1,300 stores in 94 countries but only 12 in the United States, including locations at Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade and Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza. The new deal extends that reach to 77 JCPenney stores, with plans to expand to 600 in the next year. Initially, 13 Penneys in the Los Angeles area — including Glendale Galleria, Fox Hills Mall in Culver City and Del Amo in Torrance — will have MNG by Mango shops. For Penney it's the latest move toward upping its fashion cred, after deals with Sephora, Charlotte Ronson and Liz Claiborne.

Since 2007, Mango has been raising its profile internationally by sprinkling celebrity stardust — first with a design collaboration with Academy Award-winner Penélope Cruz and her sister Monica for a dressed-up collection that featured little black dresses and hats. Scarlett Johansson has been the face of the brand in ad campaigns since last fall. Mango has also collaborated with Americans Adam Lippes and Moises de la Renta, son of Oscar, who designed a T-shirt collection that came out this year.


Like its counterparts H&M and Zara, Mango opts for multiple-season delivery rather than the traditional fall-winter, spring-summer and holiday cycles. MNG by Mango is a lower-priced division of Mango, with a slightly different design output. JCPenney is eagerly following the fast-fashion route with plans to refresh the MNG by Mango selection twice every month.

JCPenney spokeswoman Kate Coultas says one shouldn't confuse fast fashion with fast food. "Fast fashion is not disposable fashion. It is definitely high-quality stylish items with great prices — the latest runway trends," she says. "And fast-fashion contemporary is the fastest growing business right now. What better partner than Mango, an established fast-fashion retailer. We also had great success with our Sephora shop-within-a-shop, and MNG by Mango will be across from Sephora. We want to bring in a customer that hasn't been in JCPenney in awhile or a younger customer."