NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 13, 2004--Nancy Slavin, Group Vice President of Marketing for Federated Merchandising Group, a division of Federated Department Stores, Inc., and Gerard Guez, Chairman and CEO of Tarrant Apparel Group, jointly announced today the American Rag Cie apparel brand has signed this year's American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino as spokesmodel. As part of this agreement, Barrino will be appearing in a national advertising campaign, making personal appearances in the American Rag Cie shop-in-shops in select Macy's stores and wearing the brand in public appearances throughout the year.

According to Slavin, "We're thrilled to have Fantasia on board. She has a great presence and exemplifies the cool personality of the American Rag Cie brand. We know she resonates with our customer."

"I'm excited to be teaming up with American Rag Cie and wearing their clothes on tour," said Barrino. "It's a wonderful brand and the clothes have great style."

American Rag Cie is a casual sportswear collection for juniors and young men that is grounded in denim looks with vintage styling. In March 2003, Federated established an exclusive partnership with Private Brands Inc., a division of Tarrant Apparel Group and the owners of American Rag Cie license, to roll out this brand to select Federated stores nationwide, offering consumers a fresh take on sportswear with vintage inspired themes. American Rag Cie is available exclusively at more than 180 Macy's stores nationwide.

Guez, Chairman and CEO of Tarrant Apparel Group, said, "American Rag Cie connects with the lifestyles and interests of the 15-24 year-old consumer. We know that Fantasia will be a great spokesmodel for the company."

Fantasia Barrino, a 20-year-old from North Carolina, wowed audiences with her amazing voice and captured America's heart with her spirited personality during the 2004 American Idol competition. She was crowned this year's Idol, winning by 1.3 million votes. Her CD single, "I Believe," was released on June 22, and she will be performing in more than 50 cities nationwide as part of the American Idols Live tour.

Simon Fuller of 19 Entertainment brokered the deal between American Rag Cie and Fantasia Barrino.

About Tarrant Apparel Group

Tarrant Apparel Group serves specialty retailers, mass merchants, national department stores, and branded wholesalers by designing, merchandising, contracting for the manufacture of, and selling casual and well-priced apparel for women, men, and children.

About Federated Department Stores, Inc.

Federated, with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, is one of the nation's leading department store retailers, with annual sales of more than $15.2 billion. Federated operates more than 450 stores in 34 states, Guam and Puerto Rico under the names of Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Bon-Macy's, Burdines-Macy's, Goldsmith's-Macy's, Lazarus-Macy's and Rich's-Macy's. The company also operates macys.com and Bloomingdale's By Mail.

About 19 Entertainment

Simon Fuller has had a profound influence on global pop culture. At 21, he scored his first hit by signing the then-unknown song "Holiday" - Madonna's first hit to Chrysalis Music in the UK. His career as a manager started in 1985 when he set up "19". He has gone on to become one of the most respected and influential forces within the global entertainment industry. He managed the development of Oscar and Grammy winner Annie Lennox's solo career and he created and managed the Spice Girls, who went on to sell 40 million albums and became a global phenomenon. This was followed by the international television and music success of S Club 7. The group sold over 10 million CDs while their four television series were sold to over 100 countries around the world.

In 2002 Simon Fuller created and launched the incredible global success story that is the Pop Idol television property. All the artists discovered through the show are contracted to 19 Entertainment. This includes Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Will Young and Gareth Gates to name just a few. The company has built up an unprecedented roster of top music producers, songwriters and artists playing a fundamental role in the creation of hit records for artists including Madonna, U2 Oasis, Celine Dion, Eurythmics, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears.

Today, 19 is recognized as a leading creator, provider and promoter of globally successful, music based entertainment, or "Entertainment Brands". 19 has attracted a unique collection of expertise in people who work together to integrate and leverage activity across television, music film, merchandising, music publishing, recording, artist/writer and producer management, sponsorship and promotion. To date, 19 has been involved in the creation of 101 Number 1 singles and 81 Number 1 albums with an impressive tally of 233 Top 40 albums and 389 Top 40 singles.

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http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=4679225
CONTACT: For Federated Department Stores, Inc.:
LaForce + Stevens
Leslie Stevens, 212-242-9353
lstevens@laforce-stevens.com
or
For Tarrant Apparel Group:
Financial Dynamics
Melissa Myron/Lila Sharifian, 212-850-5600
SOURCE: Federated Department Stores, Inc. and Tarrant Apparel Group