Crossing the Atlantic

London-based Isabella Oliver, the sexy, modern maternity line known for dressing the who’s who of the British bump set, engaged Forty Weeks to help them expand into the competitive U.S. market. The strategic task was vast and time was of the essence. Julia and her team honed in on Isabella Oliver’s key attributes, assessed the competition to interpret market share and positioning, established U.S. retail pricing and assisted in catalog and web design. And, to build brand awareness without the luxury of pre-established brick-and-mortar retailers, Forty Weeks used a variety of tools to bring Isabella Oliver to their target audience. The team tapped their extensive list of influential contacts, including celebrity stylists, fashion editors, key maternity and parenting media, as well as mainstream print and broadcast media. The result: Isabella Oliver’s inspired designs quickly landed placements in the best of the best outlets (including celebrity-baby.com, Us Weekly, The New York Times, The Washington Post, people,com, accesshollywood.com and The View) and the wardrobes of the real style trendsetters—celebrities including Marcia Cross, Lauren Ambrose, Tori Spelling and Shon Gables. Forty Weeks also established the women behind the brand as maternity style experts and media personalities by securing them a regularly-occurring column on the familygroove.com. In 6 short months, Forty Weeks established Isabella Oliver as the premiere super-luxury maternity brand in the United States.