Venus Fashion
Venus is an American online and catalog fashion retailer headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The company sells clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories for women. Venus is known for its fashionable and trendy American-made swimwear and lingerie. The company is known for actively participating in charitable endeavors and community activities. Background. In 1982, Daryle Scott, IBM engineer and MBA student, and three other investors created a mail order apparel company that focused in competitive body suits. In 1984, Scott created Venus Body Wear, an American clothing and swimsuit retailer, selling ladies' leotards and exercise apparel via full-page advertisements  in "Cosmopolitan" and other national magazines. A year later, the company expanded to include women’s swimwear and became known as Venus Swimwear. In 1998, the company opened its first retail store on the first level of the shopping mall, Jacksonville Landing. The store was located near The Body Shop and Foot Locker. During this time the company already had a Venus Factory Outlet on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville. In 1999, Venus acquired WinterSilks, a large importer of silk fashions. In 2000, reflecting the expanded offerings, the company name changed to Venus. In November 2006, Venus, Venus Manufacturing, and WinterSilks , were acquired 80% by Golden Gate Capital, under their Catalog Holdings Group. The three companies fell under a new, united company name, Venus Holdings, LLC. In 2007, Venus opened three new retail stores, including one at shopping mall Coconut Point in Estero. In 2009, Venus Holdings was acquired by the German catalog company Bon Prix, a subsidiary of Otto. As of 2018, the company employs nearly 1,000 people, 600 of which work at the headquarters in Jacksonville, 300 people work at the distribution center and approximately 50 people work at a Venus fashion design office in Boca Raton. In September  2020, Venus announced that it is permanently laying off 120 jobs at its distribution center as part of a plan to open a second distribution facility on the west coast. Philanthropy. In 2003, Venus donated thousands of swimsuits to Jacksonville-based Dignity U Wear foundation, which provides new clothes, underwear, shoes and personal hygiene products donated by retailers and manufacturers to the homeless. In October 2017, Venus launched a "Bras with a Heart" initiative with The Donna Foundation for the second consecutive year to support their mission to provide financial assistance and support people with breast cancer and fund breast  cancer research. In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Venus donated 10% of proceeds from all bras purchased at their official website between October 1 and October 15, 2017 to The Donna Foundation for breast cancer research and recovery. Venus' manufacturing factory in Jacksonville started manufacturing masks for the area’s first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company donated the masks to hospitals in Jacksonville and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, New Jersey. In May 2020, Venus started a "Get a Mask, Give a Mask" initiative, which saw the company donate a mask to a healthcare professional for  every mask purchased. In October 2020, Venus was awarded for their service during the pandemic by "Jacksonville" "Business Journal". In March 2021, Venus partnered with Spirit of Giving to distribute over 250 of boxes of new clothing to local nonprofit organizations such as American Association of Caregiving Youth, Best Foot Forward, Boca Helping Hands, George Snow Scholarship Fund, Milagro Center, Roots and Wings, Family Promise and SOS Children’s Villages. In the media. In February 2012, Kate Upton and Julie Henderson wore bikinis by Venus in the annual "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue". Venus' swimwear has also been featured in the  CBS talk show "The Wendy Williams Show". Venus has held an annual Venus Model Search since 1989. Venus Swimwear Model Search was documented in the fifth episode of the first season of HDNet's reality series "Bikini Destinations" in 2003. Collaborations. In 2002, actress and model Brooke Burke created a swimwear line called Barely Brooke with Venus. In June 2020, Venus Fashion launched a swimwear line with "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit". The collaboration featured nearly 40 items, including long-sleeved one-pieces, tie-dye, neon, color-block and animal print swimwear and cover-ups. The pieces were priced between $85  to $140, and sold online. Select pieces from the collection were featured in the 2020 "Sports Illustrated Swimsuit" issue.