JCPENNEY JOINS THE "PROJECT RUNWAY®" CATWALK WITH AN EXCLUSIVE FASHION BRAND AND MULTI-SEASON RETAIL SPONSORSHIP


Brand Will Feature Limited Edition Designs from Season Winners and Challenge Episodes

PLANO, Texas - (July 31, 2017) - JCPenney [NYSE: JCP] is giving shoppers a front row seat to its fall fashion lineup with the launch of the first-ever "Project Runway" brand inspired by the Lifetime Emmy®-nominated show and its talented group of design contestants. Now available in over 500 JCPenney stores and at JCPenney.com, the exclusive line of contemporary women's apparel debuts with a summer preview collection showcasing designs inspired by season 15 winner Erin Robertson, with the full assortment planned for Sept. 8. JCPenney will be the exclusive retailer partner for "Project Runway" seasons 16 and 17 and "Project Runway All Stars" season 7.

"Millions of viewers aspire to emulate the fashion-forward looks first conceptualized during a Project Runway episode," said John Tighe, chief merchant for JCPenney. "This strategic collaboration enables us to work directly with up-and-coming design talent from Project Runway and increase our assortment of contemporary apparel, while gaining a fresh perspective on what women are seeking when curating the ultimate wardrobe."  

The Project Runway brand assortment is a mix of contemporary and street style looks with one-shoulder dresses, pencil skirts and cold-shoulder blouses that mix patterns and textures as part of a stunning preview collection. In September, the assortment will highlight sport luxe details with lace-up accents, hardware embellishments and drama sleeves on notable pieces, including off-the-shoulder bomber jackets, wide-leg track pants and fashion sweatshirts in rose, burgundy and black. The Project Runway collection at JCPenney will be prominently displayed in the women's fashion area near the main entrance of select stores.

"This partnership with JCPenney is one of our biggest retail collaborations since the series first began more than a decade ago," said Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company. "It also marks the first time the entire Project Runway franchise has partnered with a leading, national retailer and introduced a line of Project Runway clothing that will be available year-round."

Fashion Fresh Off the Runway
Throughout each season of Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars, the retailer will sponsor a stimulating design challenge. The winners of the JCPenney design challenge will have a special, limited edition run of their winning design produced in New York City, which will be immediately available to the public at JCPenney.com, and in select stores the following morning. Each season winner will also have the chance to collaborate with JCPenney on a capsule collection for the Project Runway brand, giving the designers an opportunity to make their unique style and aesthetic available to fans nationwide at prices that enable more women to obtain runway-inspired fashion.

For the entire season of Project Runway All Stars, JCPenney plans to translate the winning look from every episode into garments that will be available exclusively on JCPenney.com every week, giving fans instant access to the latest styles from the show. Making these designs immediately available is one way the Company is demonstrating its commitment to delivering sought after apparel on a faster production timeline.

Each show will also showcase "The JCPenney Accessory Wall," featuring a curated selection of shoes, handbags, fashion accessories and jewelry from brands such as Liz Claiborne®, Mixit®, a.n.a.® and Worthington®. In every episode, designers will be encouraged to complete their runway look using accessories displayed on the JCPenney Accessory Wall.

The Company is supporting the brand with an integrated marketing campaign that includes dedicated Project Runway television spots and engaging show fans on popular social media channels. JCPenney is also spotlighting the collection through a dedicated microsite at jcp.com/projectrunway where customers can shop the latest Project Runway assortment inspired by the show and the challenge episodes.

To download this release in English or Spanish, and for Project Runway related images, please visit: http://www.jcpnewsroom.com/news-releases/2017/0731_project_runway.html.

JCPenney Media Relations
972-431-3400 or jcpnews@jcp.com
Follow @jcpnews on Twitter for the latest announcements, images and company information.

About JCPenney:
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP), one of the nation's largest apparel and home furnishings retailers, combines an expansive footprint of approximately 875 stores across the United States and Puerto Rico with a powerful e-commerce site, jcp.com, to connect with shoppers how, when and where they prefer to shop. At every customer touchpoint, she will get her Penney's worth of a broad assortment of products from an extensive portfolio of private, exclusive and national brands. Powering this shopping experience is the customer service and warrior spirit of over 100,000 associates across the globe, all driving toward the Company's three strategic priorities of strengthening private brands, becoming a world-class omnichannel retailer and increasing revenue per customer. For additional information, please visit jcp.com.

About Project Runway:
Hosted by Emmy® Award winner, supermodel and fashion connoisseur Heidi Klum, the hit Emmy®-nominated series Project Runway provides budding designers with an opportunity to launch their careers in fashion, under the watchful eyes of mentor and co-host Emmy® Award winner Tim Gunn and judges Nina Garcia and Zac Posen. 

Project Runway is produced by The Weinstein Company, Bunim/Murray Productions, Full Picture Entertainment, and Heidi Klum Company. Executive producers include Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Co-Chairmen of The Weinstein Company) and Patrick Reardon and Barbara Schneeweiss of The Weinstein Company, Jonathan Murray and Sara Rea of Bunim/Murray Productions, Heidi Klum, Jane Cha and Desiree Gruber of Full Picture Entertainment. Mary Donahue and David Hillman of Lifetime also executive produce, and Gil Goldschein and Teri Weideman of Bunim/Murray Productions serve as Co-Executive Producers.

About Weinstein Television:
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein. During Harvey and Bob's tenure at Miramax and TWC, they have received 357 Oscar nominations and won 82 Academy Awards®.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; SCRE4M; SPY KIDS; THE KING'S SPEECH; UNDEFEATED; THE ARTIST; THE MASTER; SILVER LINIGS PLAYBOOK; DJANGO UNCHAINED; SCARY MOVIE 5; LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER; PHILOMENA; THE IMITATION GAME; PADDINGTON; WOMAN IN GOLD; SOUTHPAW; CAROL; THE HATEFUL EIGHT; SING STREET; THE FOUNDER and LION. Upcoming releases include WIND RIVER, LEAP!, TULIP FEVER, MARY MAGDALENE, and THE CURRENT WAR.

Weinstein Television boasts an active television production division with critically acclaimed projects in both scripted and non-scripted series. Weinstein Television produces the reality powerhouse Project Runway, with its spin-off series Project Runway All Stars, hosted by Alyssa Milano, Project Runway Jr, featuring supermodel Hannah Jeter and fashion critic Kelly Osbourne. Lifetime also aired business focused Project Runway: Fashion Inc. as part of the Project Runway franchise. Current series include TIME: The Kalief Browder Story which premiered on Spike in March 2017.

Scripted series include the critically acclaimed miniseries War & Peace, which debuted on Lifetime, A&E and HISTORY in 2016, Scream with MTV, which premiered its second season in May 2016, Peaky Blinders on Netflix, Julian Fellowes' Doctor Thorne with Amazon, Stephen King's The Mist for Spike TV and the military drama Six for HISTORY. Upcoming series include Waco for Paramount TV, starring Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch, a new series from David O. Russell starring Robert DeNiro and Julianne Moore for Amazon, Matthew Weiner's The Romanoffs for Amazon, and an epic reimagining of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables with the BBC.

Television projects in development explore a range of arenas and are not exclusive to drama or comedy, minis or continuing series, live action or animated. An active slate of more than 60 projects includes Elvis, the first-ever scripted series to shoot at Graceland, Josephine and Napoleon by Tony Saint, Stephen King's The Breathing Method with Blumhouse, Scott Teems and Scott Derrickson, and UK series The City and The City and Fearless.

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About Lifetime:
Lifetime is a premier entertainment destination for women dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning scripted series, non-fiction series and movies. The critically acclaimed UnREAL, Project Runway, Dance Moms, Bring It!, The Rap Game and Little Women franchises anchor the network's programming, in addition to its over 25 original movies annually that continue to define the TV movie genre. In 2015, Lifetime launched Brand Focus, a major global initiative dedicated to supporting and hiring female directors, writers and producers to make its content which totals over 450 original hours. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital(TM) are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

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