RTW Retailwinds

RTW Retailwinds (formerly New York & Company) filed bankruptcy in July 2020, collapsing a workwear retailer that had pivoted too late to survive. The company had partnered with Eva Mendes and Gabrielle Union for celebrity collections, but couldn't overcome mall traffic decline and casualization. RTW had just begun an athleisure pivot when COVID hit - the worst possible timing for a company mid-transition. The assets sold to Saadia Group, which operates the brand online. RTW demonstrated that being right about the trend but wrong on timing can be fatal.