Bisou Bisou at Penney Penney

Michele Bohbot, former president and chief designer for the trendy label Bisou Bisou (Los Angeles), has closed all of its upscale department and specialty store accounts, and has begun selling a line at J.C. Penney (Plano, Texas).

The designer explains that her profits had simply suffered too badly by department stores' ongoing problems.

“It was a tough decision, but I have the opportunity to dress more people,” said Bohbot, whose sportswear and accessories line is expected to generate $200 million this year at retail. (That compares to only $80 million in sales last year from the company's wholesale and retail operation.)

A Penney spokesman declined to divulge details of the retailer's partnership with Bisou Bisou, only saying it is a licensing deal.

This comes just a few weeks after Isaac Mizrahi, another fashion design icon of a decade ago, signed a deal to design an affordable clothing and accessories line for Target Stores (Minneapolis).

Chains like Penney and Sears, Roebuck and Co., eager to woo a more fashion-conscious consumer, are trying to emulate the success of Target, who has signed design deals over the last few years with Mossimo Giannulli, Philippe Starck, Todd Oldham, Liz Lange, Cynthia Rowley and now Mizrahi.

“The world has changed,” said Lange, noting that many consumers shop at both discount and high-end stores. In fact, she said she wants to encourage her own customers to buy T-shirts at Target and buy their work wear from the upscale line.

For designers, creating a line for the mass chains offers fewer headaches than selling to department stores that have become more demanding amid the difficult environment. These designers can also capitalize on the national merchant's big advertising budgets.

“There is no department store pressure, no production pressure,” said Marc Bohbot, chairman, ceo (and husband) of Michele Bohbot. The company closed its production facilities and now only keeps a design facility in Los Angeles. He said Bisou Bisou is able to keep the quality high and the price low because of Penney's ability to buy fabric in large quantities. The fashions, which sell from $18 to $70, are also promoted in Penny's catalogs and on its web site.

“It is empowering the brand,” Bohbot said.