The Opposite of Diffusion: SW1

While the market is absolutely flooded with diffusion lines, mass-retailer collaborations and licensing deals right now, these business tactics aren't for everyone. Luxury companies often take a page from the book of Halston and carefully approach the idea of changing their brands in that way. (Halston is not only is facing trouble today but had major problems back in the day due to too much licensing.) It is certainly a slippery slope between reaching a larger market via collaborations or licensing and keeping your luxury brand identity in check.

While Jason Wu and Versace are opting for lower-priced lines as of late, Stuart Weitzman has made it clear that he's just not interested. In fact, last month he told the Washington Post: “I don’t envision any low-end collaborations that sometimes do, sometimes don’t, take away or add to the brand."

So, instead of making a more accessible collection, Weitzman is going in the opposite direction. He's creating a higher-priced line of stilettos and is debuting a collection of purses. The designer recently announced that he will launch SW1, his new luxury shoe and accessory collection. While Weitzman's pumps are currently sold for about $300, the new styles in the SW1 collection will retail anywhere from about $595 to $995. This will be the designer's first collection of  handbags for Weitzman and the new bag line will reportedly range from $800 to $1,500.