Designer Brands said it will ramp up the focus on increasing athleisure penetration and its top 50 brands initiative going into H2 this year, in a virtual discussion at the CL King conference. It has pared down the 700 labels it was buying to its top 50, about 20% of which the company owns, and it sees a unique value proposition in its ability to play in the inline and off price space without discounting or damaging brands’ images. As it moves hard into the athleisure space with DSW, it is also banking on the appeal of its 30 million ... Log in to view full article.