Former Fashion House Execs Debut New Firm

Two top executives from the now defunct Fashion House Inc. have teamed up to launch a new venture.

John Hanna and Oscar Valencia recently formed Los Angeles-based Fashion Brands LLC — and the pair has inked their first deal to distribute the Terra Plana brand in the United States and the Americas. (As reported, The Fashion House went bankrupt and shut down in 2008.)

For the past year, Valencia, the former group president at Fashion House, had already been working with Terra Plana’s Canadian distributor to expand the brand’s footprint in the U.S.

“We grew it in a very difficult market,” Valencia said.

Building off that momentum, Valencia and Hanna, the former Fashion House CEO, struck a formal deal with Terra Plana owner Galahad Clark last month.

“It has tremendous potential in the U.S.,” said Hanna, of the brand, adding that the fashion-forward styling paired with the brand’s sustainability element would be attractive for consumers here.

The execs unveiled the spring 2010 line to retailers at the recent edition of the WSA show in Las Vegas. So far, they are working with mostly independents, including Ben Lovell, Shoegasm, Shoe Parlor and online retailer Shoebuy.com.

Looking ahead, the pair said they are in talks with another European brand for a similar deal.