With a roster that already includes work-clothing catalogers Image First and Dickies, shirt maker Van Heusen and lingerie seller Bra Smyth, Hitchcock Productions has opened for business in New York.
The full-service catalog agency, at 280 Madison Ave., is run by Thomas Hitchcock, president and creative director, who previously worked as an independent creative consultant north of Boston. Hitchcock, whose background is in fine arts, often uses a lifestyle focus in designing the look of catalogs.
“I find out about the product line, the product mix and the psychological makeup of the customer and create an image or series of images that talks to people,” he said. “We want photos that initiate customer response.”
While serving as creative director for the Talbots catalog in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Hitchcock created the company's first catalog with fashion on the cover.
“Previously, they would have a watering can or something very New Englandy,” he said. “I translated their merchandising philosophy into images and photos that connected with people.”
More recently, Hitchcock helped Madison Avenue lingerie retailer Bra Smyth relaunch its catalog.
“I wanted to create a level of sophistication in the shots,” he said. “I wanted models wearing the lingerie looking pretty and classic, not awkward or sexual.”
Hitchcock is in the final stages of negotiations to hire a direct marketer with expertise in database management and analysis.
“If we can take the right presentation and put it in the hands of the right people, we will really be set,” he said.
