'90s Teen Fashion Bastion Delia's Is Coming Back
OMG, like, no way. Yes way. #DeliasForever
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Do CaLL iT a ComebaCK. Delia*s is rising from the ashes.
No, seriously. Bust out your badass bottlecap necklaces and double-buckle platform chunkies, gurrls, because your favorite '90s bubblegum fashion brand is back. Well, almost. Word on the tweet is Delia*s is relaunching this fall.
Put it in your cal, Gen Xers. The answer to your wallet-chained 1990s nostalgia dreams is slated to come true this August, just in time for back-to-school shopping. Could the timing be any more perfect? We bet more than a few retro-obsessed tween and teen millennials (aka your kids) think so, too.
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The internets have spoken! We are coming BACK! #DeliasForever #AreYouReady #StayTuned pic.twitter.com/jwPsYAR0T4
— dELiA*s (@delias) March 13, 2015Delia*s coming relaunch -- teased by the retailer on its official Instagram and Twitter feeds to thousands of likes and retweets -- will hopefully close the door on a dark chapter in the New York City-based company's history. Last December, after failing to clinch a desperately needed sale or merger, the sputtering brand filed for Chapter 11. Its 92 brick and mortar stores in 29 states would have to go. In its bankruptcy filing, Delia*s listed a debt of $32.2 million and $74 million in assets.
But let's get back to the shiny, happy stuff. A photo caption on Delia*s Instagram foreshadowing its apparent online-only return read, "News flash! @Delias will be coming back-to-school with you! Best part? Online only = ALWAYS OPEN! #DeliasForever #BackToSchool" Another Instagram post, however, hinted that its once crazy-popular print catalog will be resurrected as well. How either potential offering will look remains to be seen. Delia*s did not immediately respond to a request for more information.
Related: Blast From the Past: Nostalgia Becomes a Marketing Strategy
Ummmm, just heard @delias is relaunching, be still my 7th grade heart!!! #DeliasForever #backtoschool
— Ashley Lutzker (@AshRLutz) April 16, 2015Founded in 1993, back in its heyday, Delia*s was once one of the reigning top marketers to teen girls in the U.S. (and the young, often collegiate women who wanted to dress like them). The company, best known for its super cute and perky catalog, and later for its accompanying online and physical stores, billed itself as a "girls only" outfit targeted the 12 to 18 set.
Will that set, all grown up now, tune in for Delia*s "nostalgia bomb" comeback? We can't speak for others, but we will. Maybe it'll help us lick our sad, sad wounds from the loss of another iconic 90s brand, Lip Smackers, the sticky-sweet taste of teen crushes. Sigh. No pressure.
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