Walmart hires fashion designer and Project Runway judge Brandon Maxwell

Walmart wants to make a name for itself in fashion. He enlisted Brandon Maxwell, a designer who dresses celebrities from Lady Gaga to Michelle Obama, to boost his reputation.

Maxwell will oversee the high-level discounter brands, Scoop and Free Assembly, as Creative Director. The 36-year-old designer lives in New York. He was a judge on Bravo’s “Project Runway” and designs a luxury brand sold by retailers like Neiman Marcus with items that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars apiece.

Working with Walmart, however, Maxwell said he could fit more budgets and reach more buyers – including friends and family in his hometown of Longview, Texas. Its first complete collections will be available in spring 2022.

“I’m not a person who believes fashion is just something on the surface. I believe it’s a way of telling the world ‘This is who I am’ and who has power,” he said. at CNBC. “Being able to bring this to so many different people, and to communities like mine, in which I grew up, has always seemed like the goal.

In recent years, Walmart has expanded beyond the basics of clothing. The retailer acquired established clothing brands, such as menswear retailer Bonobos, and launched its own. It has added nearly 1,000 national names to its website, including Champion, Levi Strauss, and Free People. And he made an agreement with ThredUp, a seller of second-hand clothing, footwear and accessories, to offer high-end, low-budget brands.

The retailer has launched four exclusive and elevated brands: Sofía Jeans, developed with actress Sofia Vergara; Eloquii Elements, a plus size women’s line inspired by the acquired Eloquii brand; Free Assembly, a private label for men and women for everyday fashion; and Scoop, a trend-oriented brand that Walmart relaunched.

Yet the world’s largest retailer by revenue is better known for low prices than high fashion. Its national footprint of more than 4,700 stores is largely concentrated in suburbs and small towns rather than fashion hubs like New York and Los Angeles. Much of her avant-garde clothing can only be found online.

Denise Incandela, executive vice president of apparel and private labels at Walmart, said that was about to change. After testing and selling private labels online, she said shoppers will see them in more physical locations. This spring, Sofia Jeans will be in 1,000 stores. Free assembly will be in 500 stores, Scoop will be in 250 stores and Elloquii Elements will be in 100 stores.

She said the retailer plans to sell more national brands in stores and make clothing displays more attractive with mannequins and creative imagery. It will also add a children’s line to Free Assembly and Scoop.

Walmart has 13 private brands of general merchandise that have generated $ 1 billion or more in annual sales. Three of its private clothing lines represent $ 2 billion brands. The company declined to name the brands.

Stacey Widlitz, retail consultant and founder of SW Retail Advisors, said Walmart needs to prove to younger, style-conscious shoppers that its stores and website are a place to store the closet, not just the refrigerator.

“The challenge for them is to really be able to shape in the mind of the consumer that they become a fashion destination,” she said. “This is not an overnight solution. [Walmart] is the food. It’s various bases. Walmart isn’t synonymous with fashion at this point. “

She said it was lagging behind Target, its little big-box rival that has established itself as a chic, budget-friendly retailer with sleek, updated stores and popular private labels.

But she pointed to Walmart’s free assembly line, which launched last fall, as a sign of progress. She said Walmart needs to step up the pace with private labels.

Walmart’s online sales in the United States grew 79% in the last fiscal year, as more shoppers shipped purchases to their homes or picked up online orders from the parking lot during the pandemic. Its same-store sales increased 8.6% over the prior year. The company did not say how much of that sales growth came from general merchandise, such as clothing.

While some core malls like Macy’s and JC Penney have lost their footing, Walmart and other non-mall stores have the potential to gain credibility and market share in general merchandise categories like beauty and clothing.

Incandela said Walmart wanted to be a convenient place where consumers can find a wider range for their wardrobe, from t-shirts to eye-catching outfits. She said the retailer will continue to experiment with ways to make an impression, from showing clothing differently on its website to having customers on TikTok.

“We are at the start of this journey,” she said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of Bravo and CNBC.