• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 1, 2017

Mall-based retailers have every reason in the world to be pessimistic, but Express is rolling out a new campaign for spring that it says is all about living like the glass is half-full. Called "Your Life, Your Dress Code," the new campaign stars model Karlie Kloss, and the Columbus, Ohio-based retailer is hoping it can turn around a  significant slump in its sales.

Express says the new brand platform is intended to celebrate people who are “progress-driven…this achiever attitude and spirit of optimism is at the core of Express brand values,” it says in its announcement.

It says the first phase of the effort is running on digital, social media, broadcast and in-store starting this month, and that it plans to continue the theme with new collaborations and initiatives.

Express, which currently has 650 stores, also recently introduced a contest to find more optimists, asking people to post Instagram videos explaining how and why they represent positivity and achievement. Winners will get to walk the runway with Kloss later this month in a fashion show in St. Louis, Kloss’ hometown.

In its most recent results, Express revealed a walloping slump, saying it expected fourth-quarter comparable sales to be down 13%, and full-year sales to be off 9%.

“Our store performance continues to be impacted by challenging mall traffic trends and a more promotional retail environment,” says David Kornberg, Express’ president and CEO, in that announcement. “However, we remain pleased with our e-commerce sales performance, which continues to trend positively year-over-year."

It’s certainly not the only mall store to suffer. Limited, the one-time parent of Express, shut all of its 250 stores at the beginning of the year, Macy’s and JC Penney recently announced more store closures, and stores like Kohl’s, Target and Sears continue to struggle with Americans who are increasingly buying apparel on line