Tarrant Apparel Signs Jeffrey Tweedy to Head House of Dereon

Tarrant Apparel Signs Jeffrey Tweedy to Head House of Dereon

NEW YORK, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tarrant Apparel Group (NASDAQ:TAGS), a design and sourcing company for private label and private brand casual apparel, today announced it has named seasoned fashion executive Jeffrey Tweedy as president of its licensed women's fashion line, House of Dereon, which was founded by entertainment superstar Beyonce and her mother Tina Knowles.

Tweedy has more than 25 years of expertise gained while working to build a number of high profile brands including Sean John, Polo Ralph Lauren, Alexander Julian, Hugo Boss, Cross Colours, Karl Kani Jeans and Spike's Joint. Most recently Tweedy was the executive vice president of Sean John, the $450 million men's lifestyle brand of hip hop impresario Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.

"We are happy to have Jeffrey join our company," Beyonce commented. "His talent and his experience -- of combining fashion with entertainment -- are finely suited to the vision my mother, Tina, and I have expressed for the House of Dereon."

"Our goal is to create a successful lifestyle brand and Jeffrey, who is known as "the future of fashion", is the right person to help lead our success," added Tina Knowles.

Barry Aved, President and CEO of Tarrant Apparel Group added, "We at Tarrant Apparel are very excited to have Jeffrey on our team. He's an influential leader who brings great experience in building and managing a celebrity brand, and we believe he will be an invaluable addition to our team."

"I am reinvigorated by the challenge of helping create the next great women's contemporary brand," Tweedy said. "I thank Beyonce and Tina for the opportunity to lead this brand and talented team's growth."

Tweedy's appointment builds greater anticipation for the line's opening Spring 2006 collection of contemporary sportswear, which debuted last week during New York's annual Fashion Week. House of Dereon -- named after Beyonce's grandmother, Agnes Dereon, a master seamstress who made women's clothing for private clients -- will offer women a mix of casual sportswear styles, featuring a range of great denim and fine fabrics. The vision is of a brand marketed to women ages 22 to 40 that combines kick, couture and soul. It will be distributed to 450 stores around the country in November, 2005.

About Tarrant Apparel Group

Tarrant Apparel Group serves specialty retailers, mass merchants, national department stores, and branded wholesalers by designing, merchandising, contracting for the manufacture of, and selling casual apparel for women, men, and children. Through its subsidiary, Private Brands, Inc., Tarrant designs, markets, and distributes privately owned brands, including American Rag CIE, and has exclusive license agreements with several celebrity brands such as Jessica Simpson's Princy, and Beyonce Knowles' House of Dereon.

About Beyond Productions

Beyond Productions, LLC was founded in May 2004 by Tina and Beyonce Knowles, Jason and Arthur Rabin and Cory Silverstein of Wear Me Apparel/Kids Headquarters. The partnership will provide the infrastructure for licensing and brand management to House of Dereon. This collaboration was orchestrated by Tina and Beyonce Knowles who wanted to bring trend-setting style and a creative take on fashion to stylish women everywhere. The design alliance features three co-creative directors, Beyonce and Tina Knowles, and Heather Thomson Schindler.

Source: Tarrant Apparel Group

CONTACT: For Tarrant Apparel Group, Corazon Reyes, Chief Financial Officer, +1-323-780-8250; Investor Relations for Tarrant Apparel, Financial Dynamics, Melissa Myron, +1-212-850-5600

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