Press Release: LamanBlu and Andy and Evan to produce childrens collection for Hang Ten Gold

American Brand Holdings, owners of Hang Ten and Hang Ten Gold, announces two new multi-year licensing agreements with Andy and Evan Industries, Inc. and LamanBlu.

Andy and Evan, specializing in premium boy’s apparel, is working on Hang Ten Gold’s new boy’s collection, while LamanBlu has signed on for Hang Ten Gold’s girl’s collection.  Andy and Evan’s focus is to provide durability and functionality while maintaining a dressy-casual design aesthetic.  LamanBlu is known for their eco-friendly contemporary designs, while maintaining a lovely childhood sense.  

“We are very excited in entering into agreements with these companies,” says Paul Kim, Hang Ten Brand Manager.  “They each produce incredibly personal products that people will become emotionally attached to. They truly understand our brand and what it means to our consumers.”

“We’re incredibly enthusiastic about this deal” says Evan Hakalir, Partner & Co-Founder at Andy & Evan Industries, Inc. “This is a unique opportunity to work with a 50 a year old iconic brand and build upon the Andy & Evan vision for producing great boys lifestyle brands. We’re also very excited to be partnering with American Brand Holdings, a tried and true veteran in the industry.” 

“We’re very excited to be working on the Hang Ten Gold girls collection” says Holli Gibson, Creative Director at LamanBlu. “LamanBlu and Hang Ten share similar brand philosophies and we’re looking forward to developing great products for the Hang Ten brand as well as expanding our offering of lifestyle apparel for girls, clothing to stylishly and comfortably take them through their every day.”

About Hang Ten

In 1960, legendary surfer Duke Boyd founded Hang Ten out of necessity.  He designed the very first “board shorts” to be capable of withstanding the rigors of surfing.  The Hang Ten “two feet” logo has been iconic in the surf and beach world ever since.  Hang Ten has played a pivotal role in growing surfing from an exotic pastime to an integral part of mainstream American life.  Today, Hang Ten is recognized around the world.  Hang Ten recently launched Hang Ten Gold, an exclusive label for the more discerning Hang Ten lifestyle customer.  Privately held and owned by American Brand Holdings, Hang Ten Gold’s headquarters are in New York, NY. For more information, visit www.hangtengold.com.

Licensing Contact:
Paul Kim
paulkim@hangten.com
347-209-3449

Spring / Summer 2013 Mood Boards

Now I know we're all thinking about Christmas now, and I certainly am enjoying the sprinkling of snow today, but not too many cold days in the future you'll be thinking about spring and the beach.  Our wholesale showings for our Spring/Summer collection were great, and we're in the middle of production now.  We'll start shipping merchandise to the stores not too long after the holidays. 

We thought you'd enjoy a sneak peak at our Mood Boards for the season - think warm sunny thoughts on these cold winter days.  Enjoy!

Open publication

Log Home Living

Sort of a different post on our blog......I was recently interviewed by Alyssa Zandi about living in a log home.  It was a lot of fun - living in the mountains in a little log cabin makes me smile - I thought you might like to know more!

Holli Gibson always thought of herself as a city girl until eight years ago when her husband’s job brought her to the little community of Coal Creek Canyon in Golden, Colorado.

“I told him that if we were moving away from all our family and friends and from the city, the least he could do was to let me live in a little log cabin in the mountains,” she said. “He agreed and it’s been a grand adventure.”

You can read the entire article at:  Town & Country

Happy Monday - don't forget to stop and smell the flowers!

Spring / Summer 2013 Fashion Show

Retailer Profile: Top Notch Boutique

We'd like to take an opportunity to welcome our newest retailer for LamanBlu and give you a profile of their store.  Top Notch Boutique is a New York store in business since 2001.  They started as an accessories boutique, focusing on bows and head bands.  They design many of their hair bows in house and can even offer custom bows for a variety of occasions, including cheer, birthday, pagents, flower girls and the list goes on. 

As their business has grown, they have expanded into hats, jewelry, christening apparel, shoes and socks and designer apparel.  They have a great online store and ship across the USA.

Check out their LamanBlu selection and their other offerings at:  Top Notch Boutique Accessories

Welcome Top Notch - we are excited to be working with you!

Top Notch Boutique Accessories, Inc.

PO Box 20241 Staten Island, NY 10302

 Accessories for the Little Fashionista in Your Life!

 www.topnotchboutiqueaccessories.com

 Toll Free: 1-866-981-8114

New York Show Review

Whew!  We're back from New York and boy are we excited!

The ENK/Children's Club show was amazing.  It may not have been the busiest August show they've had, but we had good traffic to our booth and met lots of new buyers and stores we had never had the opportunity to talk with before.  LamanBlu generated a lot of interest from buyers and press alike and we're very excited to add our new customers to the ranks of LamanBlu retailers!  We'll be profiling these stores as we get closer to shipping them their merchandise so stay tuned.

We thought you'd like to see our booth........................

 

 

We're about to have new fall styles for sale on our website so get ready to go shopping!

We are in ENK's sneak peak for the August Children's Club show!

LamanBlu's Spring / Summer 2013 Lookbook

LamanBlu Spring/Summer 2013 Lookbook by LamanBlu | Make Your Own Book

LamanBlu to Show at ENK / Children's Club in NYC

LamanBlu™ will attend the ENK/Children’s Club show in New York in August and has released their SS13 Mood Boards as a preview for the season.

Golden, Colorado – July 5, 2012 – The Children’s Club is a trade show held by ENK in New York City at the Javits Center.  ENK/Children’s Club market is where all the best domestic and international buyers gather in one place; it is the largest show of its kind in the US.  The show is juried and only top notch designers and companies are invited.  LamanBlu™ has been on the invite list for several seasons now and they are finally ready to make their appearance.  This is the next step in the company’s growth to expand their reach to specialty store buyers across the US and internationally.  The show covers the market in upscale children’s clothing, infant and fashion accessories as well as footwear ranging from newborn to ages 10/12.  Exhibitors come from all over the US as well as France, England, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Belgium, Italy and Israel.

LamanBlu™ is pure American luxury.  It is exquisitely beautiful apparel that is made to live in…to dance in…to play in….that children and parents adore.  LamanBlu™ designs and manufactures eco-friendly contemporary apparel for every little princess and prince charming – to take them through their entire day – from holding court in the morning to fighting dragons in the afternoon.  The company designs and manufactures their product entirely in the USA, much of it in Colorado.  The collection debuted in 2009 to rave reviews and derives its constant inspiration from “laman blou” which means “blue sea” in Papiamentu.

LamanBlu’s mission is to Celebrate Childhood.  They do this by seeing the beauty in everyday things.  It is inspired by a child’s sense of wonder and their enjoyment of discovery.  The collection offers beautiful yet comfortable eco-friendly clothing using the highest quality designer fabrics and exquisite detailing.  It is a trend forward collection which is extensively tested for ease of care, durability, movement and comfort.  The colors and prints in the collection are custom designed and exclusive to LamanBlu™.  They believe in using eco-friendly fabrics, which are gentle to the environment and to a child’s delicate skin – fabrics including bamboo, organic cottons, recycled polyesters and washable linens.

“We know children insist on being comfortable and have ease of movement no matter what they’re wearing, and all of our styles go through extensive wear testing by real kids.  Whether they’re twirling around the room or hanging on the monkey bars, their clothing has to move with them, and even delicate looking clothing has to be durable enough to stand up to a child’s day,” says Holli Gibson, the designer for LamanBlu™.

LamanBlu™ is also an advocate for mom’s busy lives; everything in their collection is machine washable, ironing optional.  Most of their garments have adjustment points at critical areas, so that the child can wear their clothing for longer, even after a growth spurt.  Another way LamanBlu™ carries out its mission to Celebrate Childhood is through supporting charities protecting children and protecting the environment for their future. They are actively involved in several charities both through direct volunteerism and financial support, including JDRF, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Falling Whistles.  You can read more about their chosen charities on their website, www.LamanBlu.com

Holli Gibson, the designer for LamanBlu™, is an industry veteran who spent much of her career designing clothing for women out of New York and Dallas for high end retailers including Neiman Marcus and Nordstorm.  She is also the recipient of The Rising Star Award for Design from Fashion Group International and of the 2011 303 Magazine Award for the Most Influential fashion folk in Denver.

To see LamanBlu’s mood boards, visit http://issuu.com/Holli.Gibson/docs/lamanblu_ss_13_mood_boards/3

To find out more about more about LamanBlu or make an appointment to see the collection at ENK/Children’s Club August 5,6,7, please contact them at:

www.LamanBlu.com

info@LamanBlu.com

Atelier: 720-837-1452

Fax: 801-659-8599

http://twitter.com/LamanBlu

http://lamanblu.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/LamanBlu

Colorado Burning

It's almost unbelievable - the number of fires currently burning in this state are larger than the entirety of Singapore.  With the wind direction, we've watched the smoke but mostly not been affected by it, save a few days where the wind shifted and we actually got up in the middle of the night in a near panic as the smoke smell was so strong in our house that we wondered if we were on fire.  87,000 plus acres and many homes burned just to the north of us.  The fire south of us has consumed 350 homes so far and is still burning strong.  The closest fire, just near Boulder is a scant 6 miles from us.  We watched it quickly spread.  My son commented that it looked like a volcano as we would see billowing smoke and then jets of orange fire shooting up to the sky, so thick and bright that it really did look like lava escaping the crust of the earth.

It's so sad to think of the destruction, of the people who have lost everything.  It makes you consider what would you take if you only had a short time to evacuate.  I've spent a lot of time pondering this over the past weeks and you know what?  I've come to the conclusion that my list is really very short.  Family and pets, wedding pictures, baby pictures, passports, my laptop, cell phone, my children's favorite toy that they sleep with every night.  That's about it.  Sure there are some things I would miss if they were gone, but it's all really just stuff when you get down to it, and not terribly important.

We live in such a beautiful place.  I am thankful for so much - the beauty and majesty of Colorado, the bravery and self sacrifice of all of the people fighting the fires - there are stories of firefighters losing their own homes as they battled the blaze to save the homes of others.  Thankful for the prayers of everyone for all of us here in Colorado, thankful that even  though we are seeing unbelievable destruction, that we are seeing very little loss of life, and yes, thankful that we have not had to evacuate ourselves.  But it is early in the fire season.....

We have added a charity to our website, Colorado Fire Support.  This is not a specific charity, as there are several reputable organizations taking donations for fire victims, including the Red Cross.  Supporting charitable causes is part of LamanBlu's mission in protecting the world for our children.  There have been many children affected by this fire and I can only imagine how frightening it must be for them.  When you purchase something from our website, also "purchase" the Giving Back item and you can select Colorado Fire Support as your charity of choice.  We will make a cash donation for every item you purchase - this is not added to your bill, nor to the price of the garment you are buying, it comes out of our profits and we are honored to be able to give it.  http://www.lamanblu.com/#!shop/productsstackergalleryv21=0  And please continue your prayers, they make a difference!

Salu,

Holli

Can you help our Kickstarter Campaign?

Here we are - 20 days left on our Kickstarter campaign to take us to the New York Fashion Week in August!  And we need your help!  We so appreciate all who have supported our campaign - both financially and through spreading the word.  But we're not at our goal yet!  Kickstarter is an all or nothing crowd funding platform.  If we reach our goal of $4,000 (or more) in pledges - we'll have a successful campaign when it closes and we will be able to have an amazing booth to work with the wholesale buyers from all across the country (and across the pond).  If we don't reach our goal, our project will not be funded.

LamanBlu's Kickstarter Campaign

Even $1 helps.  And if you have a little more to spare, you can get really amazing thank you gifts ranging from a LamanBlu paper doll book to a really cute sun hat with uv color changing thread embroidery (it's all white inside but changes colors when you go out in the sun).

To matching custom seahorse printed T-shirts for you and your child or both of your children.

(This is made from a photo I actually took of a seahorse and then photoshopped to make it more painterly and had screen printed on shirts)

And if you're really up for something special - you have pledge more and get prizes including an outfit inspired by your child in our next collection and/or a private trunk show at your home for all of your friends!

To make it more enticing, we're also running a Facebook promotion:

Want to get discount for our online store...well all you have to do is back our Kickstarter project and email us about it (info@lamanblu.com) and receive a 5% discount to our online store. Get your friends to back our project and email us their names and receive an additional 1% discount per friend (up to 55 friends - a 60% discount). Your friends can also get their friends to back our project to receive 1% discount per friend. This giveaway runs through July 10.

So - what do you think? Have we enticed you to support our campaing?  I hope so!  Thanks in advance.

Salu,
Holli

Back To School Time! Key Trends for F/W 12/13

Back to School Time!  Have you ordered all the key trends for Fall/Winter 12/13?

Color Me Bright:  Brights add pop to fall/winter clothing.  Bold pink stands out as a color surprise for the season.  Raspberry is a popular color choice, even in shoes.

Oh Boy!:  There’s a lot to get excited about in boys’ fashion this season as designers continue to raise the bar.

Going Soft:  Designers are going soft for fall/winter with a strong focus on cozy fur.

Vintage Charm:  Vintage clothing has worked its charm this season, inspiring collections for girls featuring retro silhouettes, wallpaper prints and vintage details.

Horse Play:  with movies like warhorse, the equestrian world is making its mark on international design with denim inspired pieces and horse graphics for kids apparel and home.

Dip Dye:  Ombre dyeing takes on renewed importance this season

LamanBlu™ is eco-friendly contemporary apparel for every little princess and prince charming.  The collection debuted to rave reviews in 2009 and is made entirely in the USA.  The company’s mission is to Celebrate Childhood. We do this by crafting beautiful apparel with exquisite detailing to take a child through their entire day, from holding court in the morning to fighting dragons in the afternoon.  LamanBlu™ believes in using eco-friendly fabrics, which are gentle to our environment and to a child’s delicate skin – fabrics including modal, organic cottons, recycled polyesters and washable linens. 

We know children insist on being comfortable and have ease of movement no matter what they’re wearing, and all our styles go through extensive wear testing by real kids.  Whether they’re twirling around the room or hanging on the monkey bars, their clothing has to move with them, and even delicate looking clothing has to be durable enough to stand up to a child’s day.  We are also advocates for mom’s busy lives and everything in our collection is machine washable, ironing optional.  Many of our items have adjustment points at critical areas, so that a child can wear their clothing for longer, even after a growth spurt.

Another way LamanBlu™ carries out its mission to Celebrate Childhood is to support charities protecting children and protecting our world for them.  We are actively involved in several charities both through direct volunteerism and financial support, including JDRF, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Falling Whistles.  You can read more about our chosen charities on our website.

Holli Gibson, designer for LamanBlu™, is an industry veteran, who spent much of her career designing clothing for women out of Dallas and New York for high end retailers including Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. She is also the recipient of The Rising Star Award for Design from Fashion Group International.


Play, dance, live…because LamanBlu™ is made to Celebrate Childhood.

Website:  www.LamanBlu.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/LamanBlu

Twitter: @LamanBlu

Pinterest:  https://pinterest.com/lamanblu/

Blog:  http://lamanblu.blogspot.com/

YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/holligibson03?feature=mhee

Issuu: http://issuu.com/holli.gibson/docs

See LamanBlu at the ENK/Children’s Club show in New York, August 5-7. 
Call 720-837-1452 to make your appointment.

Designers Statement:

"Laman Blou…it means “blue sea” in Papiamentu and a constant source of inspiration for me. I’ve been a fashion designer for years working out of New York and Dallas, but watching my children explore the world’s wonders with fresh eyes led me to create a brand to celebrate childhood, named LamanBlu™." LamanBlu™ is meant to be played in, danced in, lived in. We use eco-friendly fabrics including bamboo, pure linen and organic cottons, recycled polyester blends, all in fashion forward bright colors with exquisite detailing. Everything is made in the USA. LamanBlu™ is for children ages 6 months to 6 years. Children can be dressed beautifully and comfortably all at the same time - and the clothing can be beautifully made and easy to care for. Join with me and with LamanBlu™ to CELEBRATE CHILDHOOD.

Fall / Holiday 2012 Trend Report

Clvr Interview

Clvr Q&A with Holli Gibson, creator of LamanBlu children’s clothing line, and designer on the verge of greatness…if you help her (yes, you)

LAST UPDATED ON TUESDAY, 22 MAY 2012 06:11 WRITTEN BY LIZ WEDNESDAY, 23 MAY 2012 10:00

Designing clothing is no undertaking for the faint of heart, especially designing clothing for some of the market’s toughest customers: moms. Vision and fortitude are both necessary qualities in this industry, where moms demand clothing that is at once comfortable for their children, healthy on their skin, easy to wash, can stand up to rough play, and is above all, cute. 

One woman who understands this more than anyone is Holli Gibson, creator of the LamanBlu eco-friendly children’s clothing line, and a mother herself. Holli has somehow – brilliantly – designed a clothing collection that fits the description above. LamanBlu pieces are fundamentally wearable, adjustable, useable, washable, playable, AND adorable. THESE are the clothes you want to buy for your children.

“So why haven’t I heard of LamanBlu yet?” you may be asking yourself. Well, the line is relatively new, debuting in 2009. And it’s currently only available online and through upscale specialty boutiques. However, Holli now has the opportunity to take her collection to the next level and show at the prestigious ENK Children’s Club show in New York in July. This will propel LamanBlu further than ever, potentially into stores nationwide. This would be a dream come true for Holli, who has been designing for other companies her whole professional life. Now it’s her turn. But it’s not that simple.

Holli needs help – $4,000 worth of help – to get LamanBlu to New York. Still essentially a startup, LamanBlu is on the cusp of greatness, but needs a helpful push. Holli hopes this push will come from people willing to pledge $1 to $750 (and up) through Kickstarter.com, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. Offering various prizes for different donation amounts, Holli is raising funds just as creatively as she designs clothes.

Learn more about Holli and LamanBlu below, and find out how you can help get them both to New York in July.

To read the entire article - follow this link:  http://style.clvr.tv/clvr-qa-with-holli-gibson-creator-of-lamanblu-childrens-clothing-line-and-designer-on-the-verge-of-greatness-if-you-help-her-yes-you/ 

Help LamanBlu Show at Children's Club - a Kickstarter Campaign

Help LamanBlu show at Children's Club - Kickstarter

We've been invited to show at the prestigious ENK/Children's Club wholesale tradeshow for several seasons now. We've been holding back for a few reasons, it's an exceptionally expensive show to attend for one, and as it's the top show of it's kind in the US, we wanted to make sure our production lines were up to speed to make sure we could properly handle the increase in orders and production quantities without any hiccups.  We're ready.  We're attending the show in August.  Now we've launched a Kickstarter campaign to help pay for this show.  The campaign won't cover the entire cost of the show by any stretch of the imagination, but we feel like we can successfully raise the $4,000 we've asked for and we feel like folks who participate in our campaign will get a couple of great returns out of it - in addition to our most sincere thanks of course.  This show will help LamanBlu grow to the next level and expand our reach nationally and internationally - which means you will be able to purchase LamanBlu in a store near you!  It also means you're going to get great LamanBlu merchandise in return for your donation!  Check out our video here and click the link below to find out about the cool LamanBlu products you can receive in return for your donation.

Thanks for helping us reach our goal!

Spring has finally sprung (in the mountains)!

So I know all my Texas friends are laughing now - it's been spring there since early March and they're already calling it summer.  And when we lived in Texas, we would have already broken out the boat and we'd be spending weekends at the lake.  Not so much here in the Rocky Mountains (especially at an elevation just below 9,000 feet).  BUT the snow has finally melted (save a few patches in especially shady areas of the woods) AND the hummingbirds have arrived!  The first to show up is always our little Rufus (they make a trilling noise as they zoom around).  And he's busily trying to keep all the other hummers away from the feeder - time to put out lots of feeders!

Other signs of spring - the aspens have still tiny leaves on them, the deer are jumping into the horse paddock to sneak a lick of the salt block, the bears got into the trash that we foolishly put out too early in the morning.  The horses are almost shed out - (I think I could have made another horse with all the hair I combed off them).  Oh yes, and the chipmunks are playing rousing games of hide and seek!

Here's wishing everyone a happy end of the school year and a start to summer fun!

Paper on Parade at the Denver Art Museum

On spring break a couple of weeks ago, we had so much fun spending the day at Denver Art Museum to work with the family program and create "Paper on Parade".  We spent the whole day in their studio celebrating the Yves St. Laurent exhibit.  We had all sorts of paper, colors, jewels and other fun things to work with the kids to help everyone create their own paper fashions.  We also had a real runway and held I think 5 fashion shows during the day so everyone could show off their creations.  The kids were all so amazing and so creative!  Here's a peek of our day: