Fashion PR division of Pierce Mattie Public Relations, A Fashion Public Relations. Fashion publicity, promotion marketing firm

On Tuesday, August 29th, STAGR launched its premier collection at the “G-Suite” in Palms Casino Resort. UFC fighter Chris Leben was the evening’s special guest. Guests and members of the media enjoyed music spun by special DJ Malik from The Real World, Back to New York and had the chance to create their own customized STAGR shirt.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO BLOGGERS

Trendsetters around the globe are engaged in a fashion race, scouring boutiques and department stores in a desperate search to be the first to discover the new “It” denim line. Now, more than ever before, jeans are the staple item in stylish wardrobes. Jeans have also progressed in the fashion world. Designer denim has made its mark, appearing everywhere from the runways of New York to the office and bars during happy hour. Dressed up or dressed down, designer jeans are an essential item. Given the popularity of denim, the market is over saturated with new designer denim lines. Bread Denim is a unique brand in the overwhelming world of designer denim. Bread Denim’s fresh styles and flattering cuts have rendered them the next premium designer denim line.

New Un-retouched Photos Released: October 10, 2006

Photographer is Clarence K @ Frank Management
Models are Agatha @ Elite and William @ IMG
Photoshoot, October 10th.

Rather than following current trends, the creators of Bread Denim took a chance and ventured on their own. The young entrepreneurial team prides themselves in their “anything fly’s” mantra that is reflected in their unique designs. Bread Denim’s styles are as fresh as their namesake. The hot new line specializes in ultra sexy and stylish denim for men and women. Bread has quickly risen to the top of the competitive world of denim and established itself as the “Must Have” brand for 2007 and has already become a celebrity favorite.

The Predator Skinny Zip Jean is the company’s best selling style. A zipper extends from mid-thigh down, making The Predator an adjustable skinny-jean that is flattering on all body types. “It is minimalist, but super-sexy and sophisticated,” states Jason Ferro, the head designer of Bread. The line has three other styles for women and six styles for men. The designs come in a variety of six washes and three colors. The environmentally conscious line uses non toxic dyes at the wash house and the finest denim from Italy, Turkey, Japan, and U.S. Bread Denim has exclusivity on all their denim, which makes each piece unique and original.

Bread’s Holiday line and much anticipated spring line will debut at fashion havens such as Hollywood Trading Company, Fred Segal, Atrium, Selfridges, Isetan and Gallerie Lafayette. Get Bread while it’s hot.

From bathroom stalls to concert halls to the red carpet thralls, Bread Denim designers Sun, Jason, and Clark bring the outlandish and glamorous and grittiness of Los Angeles into their line. Visit www.breaddenim.com to learn more about Bread and get it while it’s hot.

Media Contact
Quinn Doan
Pierce Mattie PR
323.469.5500
quinn@piercemattie.com

FOH Holdings (who are the parent company for Fredrick's of Hollywood) and Movie Star Inc. announced today that they will be merging, allowing Fredrick's to become a publicly traded company. There is no need to explain who Fredrick's of Hollywood is or what they sell, but for those of you who may not know about Movie Star Inc., they are an apparel company that sells women's sleepwear and underwear to stores like Wal-Mart.

I automatically thought that this would mean that Wal-Mart might now get an "upgrade" to their lingerie section, but the deal doesn't allow it and both companies will remain separate and not sell each other's wares in the same location.

While the merger may not have any real effect on those looking to purchase lingerie, Fredrick's of Hollywood shareholders could not be happier about the merger. The shareholder's will now get 23.7 million shares of newly issued Movie Star stock worth $30.6 million. How's that for a Christmas gift?

Love the fashion on the popular Showtime drama The L Word? Then you are in luck because Showtime and some pretty fabulous designers have teamed up to create a limited edition apparel, jewelry and accessory line inspired by The L Word. There are select stores in major cities that will be showcasing this line, but if you don’t live close to them, you can always shop the “L”ements of Style collection online at Love and Pride; the line premiers on January 3rd and will be available through February 28th.

The designers involved are Laura Dahl, Blue Cult, Honey Labrador, Udi Behr, Cate Adair and Tali Epstein Segal. “L”ements of Style consists of casual tops, denim jeans and a skirt, handbags (I am in love with the messenger handbag) and jewelry. While on the Showtime website you can even select the Virtual Fashion Show icon and watch Honey Labrador model the items you select from the clothing line. Honey Labrador is not only one of the contributing designers, but she is also an international model and considered a top lesbian icon. Her contribution to the “L”ements of Style collection is the premier of her Honey L Designs label.

Showtime will be donating at least 10% of their profits from "L"ements of Style to the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, both purveyors of finding a cure for breast cancer.

If you are feeling creative, Showtime is hosting a contest beginning January 5th in order to find the hottest T-Shirt design for the “L”ements of Style. They will also be holding a sweepstakes beginning January 8th where the winner will receive a $5000 New York City shopping spree (sign me up please!) Be sure to keep your eyes glued to Showtime’s website for more details on these two contests and for more information about "L"ements of Style.

PRIMEDIA Enterprises and TS2 are collaborating to launch a new apparel line dubbed “Busby Ltd.” under the Surfer brand. Surfer, a magazine and brand known for his global reach and connection with passionate surfing enthusiasts, has been around since 1960. With such a connection to loyal surfing die-hard’s, it is only the next logical step to extend its branding into its core market that sees surfing as a lifestyle.

The Busby Ltd. label will create a line of Surfer branded shorts and board shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts and headwear for boys, as well as men’s t-shirts, sweatshirts, and headwear. Also under this label a lifestyle apparel line will launch called JOB Apparel Collective and a shorts-focused line of authentic plaids called TARTAN. All retail lines will become available at the retail level come Spring 2007.

The focus of this apparel line is to keep true to the authentic surfing culture, which is one that is deep and passionate about their lifestyle. Launching this apparel line only deepens Surfer’s connection with its consumers, whom identify the Surfer brand as the voice and authority on surfing.

Once this apparel line debuts, it will be interesting to see if surfers feel that Busby Ltd. has lived up to the Surfer name. For those who want a sneak peak prior to Spring, you can catch Surfer and its Busby Ltd. line at the Surf Expo this January.

The ever-popular Amazon.com has decided to branch out and take advantage of the continually growing popularity of online shopping for fashion by creating Endless.com, a shoe and accessory website. The newest venture is made to compete with the likes of Zappos, Gap's PiperLime and Nordstrom. Endless.com is still in beta, but looks eerily familiar to another shoe and accessory destination that I am familiar with: Shoebuy.com

Both sites cater to women, men and children for their footwear needs, both sell handbags, offer a 110% price match guarantee, free return shipping and 365-day returns. However, the two sites do differ. Obviously Shoebuy.com offers a very expansive collection of shoes and handbags, but they also offer apparel, bags (such as luggage) and fashion accessories such as belts, shoe trees and watches. Another perk is that they do not charge sales tax.

While Endless.com’s shoe selection may not provide as many varieties of brands and designers as Shoebuy, this can be forgiven because they offer free overnight shipping. So if you need those shoes by tomorrow, Endless.com is the place to buy them. I also love their clean layout and how the sidebar navigation makes color, size and brand selection easy. Actually, overall, I like Endless.com’s total web design layout. It doesn’t feel cluttered and is easy on the eyes.

It will be interesting to watch it grow and evolve, but also to see if it can become a true competitor in the footware market.

Things just seem to be getting better for the stars of Desperate Housewives. They have a PC game; dolls being made in their likeness and now Eva Longoria has scored a two-year contract as the first ever spokesperson for Bebe Sport. The ads will be launched on billboards and in magazines this March and are the company’s first ad campaign.

Bebe Sport is an extension of the Bebe brand and was launched in 2003. Bebe Sport’s tagline is “Where Fashion Works Out” and certainly by the appearance of it’s line of sportswear, Longoria’s look fits in perfectly. Bebe Sport’s top’s and bottom’s definitely put a sense of style into workout wear, making it entirely possible to even wear some of the outfits out running errands without looking too underdressed.

Now there are no excuses for going to the gym looking frumpy.

When I came across a news headline regarding Ali Spizman, a few things captured my eye. Ali is only 19 years old, but has already published two books and designed handbags for Claire’s to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation, of which she is a National Teen Ambassador for.

While this is not breaking news, Spizman designed Handbag of Hope in 2005, I have to say first and foremost, how refreshing is it to see a teenager doing something positive and giving of themselves to others? Secondly, my very dear friend passed away from terminal cancer at the age of 23 in 2001. She was granted a wish through Make-A-Wish before her death and since her passing I have tried to faithfully make a donation to the charity on the anniversary of her death and birthday each year since. My friend Elke, who also had a good friend pass away from cancer at a young age, is involved in the Make-A-Wish Foundation as well, and as a Celebrity Makeup Artist is able to grant wishes.

If you have not heard of Ali Spizman or have seen her Handbag of Hope, you simply need to do so. Ali was inspired by a 12-year-old terminally ill child by the name of Hope whose wish was for all of the children in her area to be granted their wishes. A radio show interviewed Hope before her death, which resulted in the raising of $1.1 million dollars in 4 weeks for the charity. Spizman was inspired and decided to carry on Hope’s mission by creating her signature handbags. The handbags are sold at Claire’s with a minimum of 10% of the profit going to Make-A-Wish Foundation. To date, Handbag of Hope has raised $300,000.

When you work for a designer with such creativity as Betsey Johnson, how can you not be inspired to venture out on your own and show the world your own talents? That is just what Jordi Scott is doing. Scott is a former designer for Johnson and decided to launch her own clothing line, which will debut on February 5th at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC.

The clothing line is inspired by modern art and punk rock and Scott says that the collection will be unlike anything else out on the market. You get a sense of that rock and roll feel from the minute you land on the homepage of her website with the Rolling Stones-like logo on the center of the page. The motto for Jordi Scott’s line is, “Trends come and go, but your spirit will always remain.” It will be interesting to see the styles and colors of her line, as her picture on her website reminds me very much of that punk rock look inspired by The Sex Pistols and The Clash back in the early 80’s.

You can keep up to date on Jordi Scott through her MySpace page and website. Her fashion show takes place on February 5th at Arena, located at 135 West 41st Street, at 9pm.

Global warming has been on the minds of all of us for some time, it’s an issue we can’t get away from, although some still continue to debate it. Diesel, the hot Italian fashion brand, has decided to bring the global warming message to the forefront through their new ad campaign, “Global Warming Ready.”

The images are thought provoking, whether it be water half way up the skyscrapers in NYC or the beach vacation on Mount Rushmore, this ad campaign is sure to start a buzz. While Diesel says that the ad campaign is subtle, I think it’s very much in your face…and not in a bad way at all. The Diesel website hosts a global warming video that explains global warming and how it will affect our planet. At the end of the video a slideshow begins to play of the ad campaign, although it is somewhat slow, it is definitely worth it and gives you time to really look at each picture. They also offer you tips on 10 things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, provide a direct link to StopGlobalWarming.org and encourage Diesel fans to watch Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” The ads get you thinking, almost to the point that you forget about the great Diesel fashion in the ads.

This campaign comes at a time when many beauty and fashion companies are either going green or collaborating with green charities and organizations to promote awareness of what we are doing to our planet, such as Lancome collaborating with Carbonfund.org.

What do you think of Diesel’s ad campaign? Is it exploitive or do you think it will get more people talking (and doing something) about global warming?

Lacoste History: René LACOSTE was born in France on 2nd July 1904 and died on 12th October 1996. Go Directly to 2007/2008 Lacoste Runway Show.

The Lacoste Website

The true story of the "Crocodile" begins in 1927. René LACOSTE liked to recount how his nickname became an emblem recognized throughout the world.

"I was nicknamed "the Alligator" by the American press, after I made a bet with the Captain of the French Davis Cup Team concerning a suitcase made from alligator skin. He promised to buy it for me if I won a very important match for our team.The public must have been fond of this nickname which conveyed the tenacity I displayed on the tennis courts, never letting go of my prey!"

So my friend Robert GEORGE drew a 'crocodile' which I then had embroidered on the blazer I wore on the courts.

An attentive spectator at René LACOSTE's Davis Cup matches was the winner of the BRITISH Womens golf title, Mademoiselle Simone THION de la CHAUME, who soon became his wife and constant support.

In 1933, René LACOSTE and André GILLIER, the owner and President of the largest French knitwear manufacturing firm of that time, set up a company to manufacture the logo-embroidered shirt. The champion had designed this for his own use on the tennis court, as well as a number of other shirts for tennis, golf and sailing - as can be seen in the first catalogue, produced in 1933.

To the best of our knowledge, this was the first time that a brand name appeared on the outside of an article of clothing - an idea which has since become extremely successful.

This shirt revolutionized mens sportswear and replaced the woven fabric, long-sleeved, starched classic shirts.The first LACOSTE shirt was white, slightly shorter than its counterparts, had a ribbed collar, short sleeves with ribbed bands and was made of a light knitted fabric called "Jersey petit piquéIt continues to offer the same quality, comfort and solidity on which it built its name and which constitute its uniqueness.

Everyone knows who Levi Strauss is and their trademark arches that are patented, no less. We also know that the love of denim has increased and birthed many new denim companies because of it. So would you be surprised to know that Levi’s never really took notice of this denim craze until it hit them in their (back stitched arched) pockets with a 40% decrease in sales since 1996? Once they realized they missed the boat and were no longer the King of denim, they took a long hard look at the competitors passing them by. The common thread of success? Levi’s believes it to be their trademark logo making it onto behinds of non-Levi’s wearing consumers across the globe.

Since 2001 Levi’s has sued more than 100 companies, making their lawsuits over trademark the most of any other clothing company in the United States. Surely trademark has specifications as to how not to replicate their logo, yet even companies who made their own unique design and deliberately placed it on an opposing pocket were sued by Levi’s. So was the case with Rock and Republic, who was sued in 2005 and settled out of court despite Rock and Republic’s chief executive Michael Ball never conceding that their brand did anything wrong. Rock and Republic also happens to be one of the country’s most fastest growing denim companies. Could the frivolous lawsuit be to take a competitor down or did Levi’s truly believe there was basis for their lawsuit?

After looking at some of the “arches” stitched onto competitor’s pockets that Levi Strauss sued, there seems to be a fine line between their trademark logo, as some do look very similar, and that of a denim company being a sore loser.

What do you think?

If you love Juicy Couture’s lifestyle brand of clothing and you happen to have the pitter patter of little feet ages 0-24 months crawling around your home, then you will be happy to know that Juicy Baby will be launching this Spring according to WWD. Juicy Couture, a Southern California brand, signed a deal with Tawil Associates to make, distribute and market Juicy Couture boys and girls apparel for newborns and infants, as well as layette clothes.

Juicy Couture is known for their pastel velour and terrycloth tracksuits and casual wear, as well as their expansion into handbags, shoes, jewelry, watches, fragrance, sunglasses and soon enough cosmetics and home products however, I wonder what they would call their cosmetics line as there is already a cosmetics company in Canada called Juicy Cosmetics.

Juicy Couture continues to increase in popularity not only here in the states, but globally as well. In April of 2006, they opened their first flagship location in Tokyo with plans to open many more stores throughout Japan. Juicy Baby is an expansion of their current lines that include men, kids, their regular Juicy line and Couture Couture.

You can find Juicy Baby at select Juicy store locations and at many of Juicy Couture’s wholesale accounts such as Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom’s.

Luxury brand Jimmy Choo, who was recently sold to TowerBrook Capital, is looking to move beyond their infamous footwear and leather good lines and expand into eyewear and fragrance. With new ownership, Tamara Mellon alongside her Creative Director Sandra Choi hope to make Jimmy Choo one of the most treasured luxury brands in the world.

According to WWD, Jimmy Choo will launch an eyewear collection by the end of the year and launch it’s first fragrance in 2008. Another brand expansion in the works is a runway collection of shoes that will start with the fall season. Jimmy Choo, a popular brand among fashionistas, it is also one sought after by many major celebrities.

The history of Jimmy Choo is quite interesting and it’s two acquisitions valued in the millions over the last two years show the investment and growth of the brand under Tamara Mellon’s direction. Now that TowerBrook Capital has acquired the brand with 80% share holding and Mellon still involved at 20%, I think Jimmy Choo’s cult following will only gain momentum as Mellon continues to take the brand in an uphill direction.

Pinko, the young Italian trend-wear fashion brand for women, has announced Mariah Carey as the spokesmodel for their brand. Pinko was established in the late 80’s as a spin-off from CISCONF and has increased in popularity in the last 4 years. Mariah Carey says to have found the fashion brand while working in Italy and fell in love with their clothing. When she was approached by Pinko to be their spokesmodel, she gladly accepted.

Mariah Carey is almost unrecognizable on their website. I’m so used to seeing her in less than flattering clothing and pastel colored makeup that I was taken aback by how stunning and gorgeous she looks. When on the site descriptive words to illustrate the brand flash before your eyes: Glamour, Lifestyle, Irony, Sensuality and Seduction. All of these words can easily be related to Carey, as well.

Pinko has 410 retail stores in Italy, including 60 single brand shops, 100 corner stores, 250 multi-brand stores and 210 overseas sales points. While you can shop Pinko online, unfortunately the US in not included among the Countries that one can shop from. So for now, we can stand in awe of their very cool, very chic collection.

The designer brand superstore, Scoop, has opened a 10,000sqft megastore on Broadway that consists of a variety of categories to dress the family from head to toe. The store opened today while converting their previous space on Broadway into an outlet store called Scoop it Up.

The new home of Scoop is so large, that owner Stephani Greenfield will be adding categories to their current line up such as Scoop Home and expanding upon their beauty business, which will include skin care, candles and men’s fragrances. Scoop’s fashion brands include high end and low-end top designers such as Marc Jacobs, Lela Rose and Diane von Furstenberg. Price points meet all variations for these luxury lifestyle brands.

Scoop has a silent rivalry with Intermix, another lifestyle fashion store who is said to be upgrading their store to 5,000sqft. Now that Scoop is expanding into more than just clothing, such as handbags, shoes, jewelry and the expansions mentioned above, it will be interesting to see how Intermix will utilize and maximize their new space to compete with this megastore, which now appears to be a mega-competitor.

Jockey’s latest collection called 3D-Innovations has a new “body” to show off the line. One of the biggest heartthrob’s in New Zealand is Rugby player, Dan Carter. In New Zealand he is basically the equivalent of David Beckham, certainly not just due to his Rugby skills and ability to capitalize on his fame through endorsements, but he has those stunning good looks to match.

While Carter has been promoting Jockey since 2003, it is with the launch of 3D-Innovations that he is becoming their international spokesmodel, and well, you won’t hear me complaining. However, his international campaign seems to be falling short of the US and will only be promoted in Europe and the UK.

The new Jockey 3D line offers cotton spandex underwear that incorporates technology, so as to enable them to mold and reflect the movements of human body. It is said to offer an excellent comfort fit and hugs the body like second skin. While the line was launched in New Zealand today, it is also offered in the US and can be seen on their website, just without the fabulous imagery of Dan Carter wearing them.