*By Conor White* A so-called "retail apocalypse" may be underway, but not at Lilly Pulitzer. The clothing brand famous for its bright colors, hand-painted prints, and resort wear is stronger than ever, according to its CEO. "What made the brand take off in the 1960s ー the fundamentals are still there today," Michelle Kelly said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar. Lilly Pulitzer is celebrating 60 years with a new store on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Fla. ー but its mission remains the same. "We are focused on our customer," Kelly said. Total revenue growth of the Oxford Industries-owned ($OXM) brand was up 3.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018, and up over 5 percent in the first six months of the year. The company has been able to sustain its growth without discounting items or lowering base prices. "We really focus on full-price integrity," Kelly said. "We believe that if a customer loves Lilly, we want to make something that will delight her at full-price." Among those full-price items ーand one of the reasons sales are up ー are swimsuits. The company recently brought the pieces back after pausing their production for years. "We really kept hearing from our customer that you can't pack for a vacation completely without having a great Lilly Pulitzer swimsuit," Kelly said. With sales up and new stores opening, Lilly Pulitzer doesn't see any reason to change its strategy ー and beyond the bottom line, there's another major reason it's doing so well. "It makes people happy," Kelly said. "Who doesn't want more of that right now?" For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/lilly-pulitzer-ceo-talks-60-years-in-business).
