MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2006--Perry Ellis International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PERY) announced today that it had reached an agreement in principle with Levi Strauss & Co. for the manufacture and distribution of Dockers(R) men's cloth outerwear in the United States and Mexico. The line encompasses men's jackets, coats and synthetic fleece. Perry Ellis will begin delivery of product by June 2006 into select chain and specialty stores. Perry Ellis anticipates that the agreement will have a neutral impact on earnings for fiscal 2007, but will be accretive to earnings in subsequent years.

The parties have agreed in principle to terms of distribution through December 2009, with a potential renewal period until December 2012.

"We are excited about this platform to grow the outerwear business for one of the best names in fashion and we are proud of our association with Levi Strauss & Company. Dockers(R) is a great world class brand that represents the American lifestyle," said Perry Ellis International Chairman and CEO, George Feldenkreis. "We plan to take advantage of synergies in production cycles and other functions with our swimwear business, as the swimwear buyers often make purchases of both categories."

Perry Ellis International President and COO, Oscar Feldenkreis remarked, "We plan to operate this group as a separate business unit with an experienced group of designers in Seattle, who fully understand the outerwear category and were able to build a great outerwear company. We will leverage our core competencies in sourcing, planning and sales management to maximize this opportunity."

About Perry Ellis International

Perry Ellis International, Inc. is a leading designer, distributor and licensor of a broad line of high quality men's and women's apparel, accessories, and fragrances, including dress and casual shirts, golf sportswear, sweaters, dress and casual pants and shorts, jeans wear, active wear and men's and women's swimwear to all major levels of retail distribution. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, owns a portfolio of highly recognized brands including Perry Ellis(R), Jantzen(R), Cubavera(R), Munsingwear(R), Savane(R), Original Penguin(R), Grand Slam(R), Natural Issue(R), Pro Player(R), the Havanera Co.(R), Axis(R), Tricots St. Raphael(R), Gotcha(R), Girl Star(R) and MCD(R). The company also licenses trademarks from third parties including Nike(R) for swimwear, and PING(R) and PGA TOUR(R) for golf apparel. Additional information on the company is available at http://www.pery.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Forward-looking statements (statements which are not historical facts) in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The actual results of Perry Ellis could differ materially from those expressed or indicated by forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, a significant decrease in business from or loss of any of Perry Ellis' major customers, anticipated and unanticipated trends and conditions in the apparel industry, including current or future retail and wholesale consolidation, the effectiveness of Perry Ellis' planned advertising, marketing and promotional campaigns, the seasonality and performance of Perry Ellis' swimwear business, the ability of Perry Ellis to contain costs, disruption in the supply chain, Perry Ellis' future capital needs and ability to obtain financing, the ability to integrate businesses, trademarks, trade names and licenses, including the recently completed Gotcha acquisition, the ability to predict consumer preferences and changes in fashion trends and consumer acceptance of both new designs and newly introduced products, changes in the costs of raw materials, labor and advertising, the ability to carry out growth strategies, the level of consumer spending for apparel and other merchandise, the ability to compete, termination or non-renewal of any material license agreements to which Perry Ellis is a party, exposure to foreign currency and interest rate risk, possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity and armed conflict and other factors, including those set forth in Perry Ellis' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those risks and uncertainties detailed in Perry Ellis' filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the day hereof and Perry Ellis disclaims any intent or obligation to update the same.

CONTACT: Perry Ellis International, Inc., Miami
Rosemary Trudeau, 305-873-1294
Rosemary.trudeau@pery.com
www.pery.com

SOURCE: Perry Ellis International, Inc.