Carlos Bethencourt is unapologetic.
The founder and president of 32 Degrees, an activewear and basics brand from David Peyser Sportswear, is preparing to launch a new brand offering a more affordable version of Skims.
Called Layer Zero, the performance intimates brand will offer a collection priced $8 to $15 that will be sold primarily online but also at Costco. It will launch on Feb. 10.
“Layer Zero was created to challenge the idea that quality and performance have to come at a premium,” said Bethencourt. “We focused on how women actually move through their day, designing intimates that feel intuitive, flexible and effortless, while still delivering that support and quality at unbeatable prices.”
In a preview at the company’s New York showroom, Bethencourt said the “single biggest thing at retail today is Skims. It’s the most important innovation we’ve seen in the last five years. But what we’re good at is offering product at affordable prices.”
A Skims shapewear bodysuit retails for $70, a high-waisted short is $80, and a bralette is $44.
Layer Zero’s six-piece launch collection will feature lightweight, flexible shapewear made from a blend of microfiber nylon and spandex offering four-way stretch, moisture wicking and frictionless bonded seams. The initial collection will consist of a seamless or smoothing nylon bra, a seamless or shaping nylon brief, and a seamless or shaping nylon short. And like Skims, the sizing will be inclusive with pieces running from XS up to 2X. The palette will range from black and clay to sand, wood and hazelnut.
Layer Zero will be sold online and at Costco.
Courtesy of Layer Zero
But that’s just the beginning. The showroom was chock-full of a variety of products that will continue to be introduced every 60 days. “Doing drops is important these days,” he said.
Going forward, Layer Zero will also offer an activewear collection, outerwear and menswear. There will be butt-lifting bottoms, tummy control, a variety of bras, bodysuits, leggings and tracksuits.
Skims, which started in shapewear, has expanded into a wide variety of products, including loungewear, men’s and an outdoor collaboration with The North Face. The menswear, which will be introduced in the fall, will start with underwear that will be sold in packs of twos or threes.
In order to keep the prices down, Bethencourt said Layer Zero would stay almost exclusively direct-to-consumer. “My model is value,” he said. “We’re doing less and less with department stores. The markup structure doesn’t lend itself to the pricing we want to offer. But we do sell a tremendous amount to Costco.”
Bethencourt said the collection is mainly produced in China as well as Indonesia and Egypt. Staying in China has been challenging due to the tariffs on goods coming into the U.S., but he said the machinery needed to create seamless garments has been hard to find elsewhere.
“So we pay the tariffs, absorb it and move forward.”
To introduce the collection to customers, Layer Zero has brought marketing professionals into the brand who will be promoting the collection digitally and through influencer gifting. There will also be a launch event in New York City on March 3.
