McCormick to Head Bass at Harbor

NEW YORK – Jim McCormick has joined Harbor Footwear Group Ltd. as president of Bass Wholesale, which earlier this week was licensed to market GH Bass footwear globally by Phillips-Van Heusen Corp.

McCormick will be responsible for staff, sales, product development and distribution of Bass footwear and will report to Dennis Lazar, president and chief executive officer of Port Washington, NY-based Harbor.

For the past 20 years, McCormick had been with Jimlar Corp., where he had headed its Frye division since 1998.

“Jim is tapped into the heritage of Bass and coupled with his vast experience, drive and determination, we are confident that he will be instrumental in reinvigorating the brand on all fronts,” Lazar said in a statement. “We see a huge opportunity to raise the profile and image of the Bass brand both domestically and abroad under Jim’s leadership.”

Harbor’s Bass license is expected to take effect next month and selected products will be available at the WSA and MAGIC shows in Las Vegas. The entire Bass range for men, women and children will debut at the FFANY show in New York in June.

Harbor, which markets footwear under brands including Giorgio Brutini, will also market shoes under the Weejun and Sunjun labels. PVH will retain its Bass outlet store operation.

Harbor established Bass Wholesale as a separate company to accommodate the new licensed business.

Rights to Bass footwear had previously been licensed to Brown Shoe. Although the initial license, signed in February 2004, included renewal options extending to 2013, it was set to expire next month.