Holli Gibson, Designer of LamanBlu, Wins Children’s Wear Category for the Rising Star Award

LamanBlu by Holli Gibson is the winner of the Children’s Wear category for the Rising Star 2009 Award. The Rising Star is awarded to an outstanding designer by The Fashion Group International, Inc. The field was narrowed from 27 finalists to 10 category winners. Category winners will participate in the prestigious Rising Star Fashion by Design runway gala, the biannual signature event orchestrated by Fashion Group International of Denver, on October 23, 2009. “I am honored to be chosen as the category winner for Children’s Wear. Fashion Group International has such a wonderful reputation and history in the industry,” says Holli Gibson.

Designers will present their collections in this runway gala at Mercedes-Benz of Westminster, the presenting sponsor. The event, which will include silent and live auctions, benefits FGI’s scholarship and educational outreach programs. Tickets are $50-$250. Find more information at denver.fgi.org or blacktie-colorado.com; 303-809-3595.

FGI is a global non-profit where fashion industry professionals connect, create and move the fashion industries – apparel, accessories, beauty and the home. The first non-profit fashion organization that now boasts 6,000 members worldwide originally became a force in New York City, the organization’s headquarters. Helena Rubenstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Edith Head and others with early New York fashion careers are responsible for FGI’s founding.

The concept of Fashion Group International began originally in New York in 1928 when 17 women, gathered by Edna Woolman Chase, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, met for lunch in a modest midtown New York restaurant. They had three things in common: Each held a job of consequence in the business of fashion, each held all the others in high regard and together they held a belief that fashion needed a forum, a stage, or a force to express and enhance a widening awareness of the American fashion business and of women’s roles in that business. The Fashion Group®, conceived at an informal luncheon in 1928 became an organization in 1930, with a place, a purpose, by-laws, officers and women eager to be members. The Denver chapter of Fashion Group International was founded March 1958 by Gretchen Weber.

LamanBlu Featured in Earnshaw’s June 2009 Coast to Coast – “True Blue”

LamanBlu is featured in the Nationwide Fashion Spotlight of the latest edition of Earnshaw’s Magazine, THE Infants’, Girls’ & Boys’ Wear Review for the Children’s Wear Industry. “We’re very excited to be recognized by Earnshaw’s. They’re an important voice in the industry.” says Holli Gibson, Designer for LamanBlu.

Melissa Knific, Features Editor for Earnshaw’s Magazine interviewed Gibson about LamanBlu for the Coast to Coast section which spotlights fashions nationwide. They discussed where the name LamanBlu hails from, as well as the eco-bent of the line and a roundup of the Fall 2009 styles as well as Gibson’s extensive industry experience.

Says Gibson, “With LamanBlu, I wanted to merge the American lifestyle of easy to care, easy to wear clothing with the European sensibility for the finer things in life and attention to detail. I also wanted to be true to something near and dear to my heart, the eco-impact our choices have. My mother was eco when I was a kid, before we even had a term for such things. God has given us this beautiful world, and we all have a responsibility to care for it.”

LamanBlu is designer clothing for girls’, offered in sizes 2T through 6x. It is sold exclusively through high-end boutiques across the US. For more information or to view photos of the Fall 2009 line, please visit their website at www.LamanBlu.com. To preview the Spring/Summer 2010 line, please contact LamanBlu at info@LamanBlu.com. To view the online edition of Earnshaw’s and read LamanBlu’s feature, visit http://earnshaws.epubxpress.com/link/EARN/2009/jun/22?s=0

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LamanBlu, by Holli Gibson, is designer clothing for children. It is created for parents and children who want something uniquely beautiful, fashionable and comfortable. The quality and timeless style is such that these clothes are meant to be passed down to siblings and heirloom pieces are meant to be passed down to future generations. These are mix and match clothing pieces that have been designed to take kids all the way from play to special events. The LamanBlu customer loves the American lifestyle of easy to care, easy to wear clothing, yet appreciates the European sensibility for the finer things in life and attention to detail. LamanBlu is available in boutiques across the US. Visit them on the web at www.LamanBlu.com

Earnshaw’s is the premier media resource serving the children’s market, including apparel, juvenile products and gifts. With more than 90 years of experience, the magazine is the established voice of the industry. More than 13,000 decision makers rely on Earnshaw’s print vehicle, online communications, fashion events and seminars to hone their retail strategies and merchandising techniques, stay informed on the latest trends, and keep their assortments fresh. Visit them on the web at www.earnshaws.com.

LamanBlu Releases its Spring / Summer 2010 Trend Lookbook

According to Stahl’s Forecasting Service, there are two key themes for Spring 2010 “Bringing the Unexpected to Everyday!” and “Creating a Sense of Individuality!” These are phrases that describe the focus of the LamanBlu line every season. Pantone’s theme for Spring / Summer 2010 is Magic. “Magic gives us the ability to imagine and to change. It opens up a world of infinite possibilities, connecting us again with the child we once were and still lives within each and every one of us.” Interfiliere declares wide-ranging agreement at the latest biannual color meeting: “stylists and industrialists agree that the market demands color.”

What does this mean for you? Wondering what’s going to be in style for Spring and Summer 2010? Here’s LamanBlu’s take on the trends for the season. Visit their website at http://www.LamanBlu.com/Press.htmto see their Spring / Summer 2010 Trend Lookbook.

Aruba
White and pink sand, Caribbean waters so blue they make your soul ache to explore beneath them. And the eternal hunt for seahorses, those elusive gentle creatures hidden in the reef that hold you spellbound. What better beachwear than washed linen in Dutch and sun faded colors. “We’re using inspired finds from the beach, including natural shell buttons and freshwater pearls.”, says Holli Gibson, designer for LamanBlu. The colors are translucent and a reminder of being castaway on a desert island. Fabrics are crinkled and cool to the touch. The garments have a feeling of linear aesthetics to strike the right balance. Details and finishings are perfect reminders of a demure and prim gentility. Harking back to Victorian vintage, with haute couture precision and radiant elegance. Nothing is left to chance, nothing is vague, everything is pretty, harmonious and graceful. A revival of the finest which is enchanting and precious.

Viva la Couleur
Color Amplified. Inspired by the colors of Isla Mujeres, bright bold fiesta colors. Citrus brights offer a therapy of color in a surprise explosion. Cool stretch cotton sateens are the rage of the day, or night. Vibrant, brilliant colors across the spectrum are combined in a wild imagination of playfulness, humor, energy and optimism. Structured details and playing with construction give a vision of exciting and surprising flamboyance. A world immersed in fashion, effervescent colors with sheen personify total perfection, a realm of hope in a global playground. “I love the energy of Mexico, particularly the way they use bright colors, which just radiate in the luminously warm sun. This theme mingles beautifully with our Eco Couture trend.”, says Gibson.

Eco Couture
“Of course, we’re continuing with our highly successful bamboo knits, with a tropical twist.”, says Gibson. Ecological, innate couture. Vibrant aqua, cool white and tangerine remind us of lush terrain and cool breezes against a backdrop of ethereal views. Subtle stitching and precise edges exist naturally, yet overtly and without pretense. Shades of the piñata mingle festively. Intricate embroidery exudes bountiful joy and lightheartedness. The fiesta girl is reminiscent of youthful days gone by.

LamanBlu, by Holli Gibson, is designer clothing for children. It is created for parents and children who want something uniquely beautiful, fashionable and comfortable. The quality and timeless style is such that these clothes are meant to be passed down to siblings and heirloom pieces are meant to be passed down to future generations. These are mix and match clothing pieces that have been designed to take kids all the way from play to special events. The LamanBlu customer loves the American lifestyle of easy to care, easy to wear clothing, yet appreciates the European sensibility for the finer things in life and attention to detail. LamanBlu is available in boutiques across the US. Visit them on the web at http://www.lamanblu.com/

Open publication - Free publishing - More lamanblu

Looking to Spring 2010

Is it spring already? Well, that's questionable around our studio, we just got snowed in with 4 feet of heavy spring snow! Even having to venture to work in our snowpants, we're feeling like spring, and thinking of the beach.

An upcoming trip to Aruba has us inspired in a "castaway" theme and what better beachwear than washed linen in Dutch and sun faded colors. We're using inspired finds from the beach, including natural shell buttons and freshwater pearls.

A past trip to Isla Mujeres has us longing for the other end of the color spectrum, with citrus brights and fab color combinations. We're working in stretch cotton sateens for fun, cool and comfort.

Of course, we're continuing with our highly successful bamboo knits, in an Eco-Couture collection, with our signature embroidery accents, in bright colors for spring.

Fall 2009 Collection Reactions - Stellar!

I'm just back from Dallas, where we showed the debut Fall 2009 line of LamanBlu to specialty boutiques in Dallas and Fort Worth. We opened to rave reviews! We were delighted to be received as well in Dallas as we were in our local hometown of Denver/Boulder. The specialty store boutique buyers are always such a delight to work with. They're very excited about our designer quality fabrics - both the 11 oz. bamboo/lycra knit and the custom mica printed bamboo fleece. Our designer details garnered lots of attention as well. The custom embroidery was a big hit, as well as the hand embroidery and beading on our heirloom lace pieces. We had fun working with the buyers to customize their floor presentations and they had fun getting to have a hand in the process as well, choosing trim and sparkle organza color combinations to suit their customer's personal taste. We also enjoyed talking about spring 2010, which is soon to come (more on that later). It was a great trip, and we made many new friends (as well as visited old ones). But it's good to be back to the studio, enjoy the spring snowfall, and get to work for spring 2010!

Colorado Designer, Holli Gibson, Launches new Eco-Conscious Designer Children’s Wear Line

LamanBlu leads the field in designer level children’s wear with an eco-bent. The company is using bamboo fabric in a most fashionable way for beautiful and comfortable children’s wear.

As our society becomes more conscious and concerned with the environment, a large amount of companies and designers, including Holli Gibson, designer for LamanBlu are branching off into creating products that are eco-trendy and eco-friendly. LamanBlu has embraced this trend, while taking eco –fashion to a new level of style, comfort and sophistication, all aimed at children. The debut collection, titled “Being the Fabulous” focuses on bamboo fabrics, both an 11 ounce bamboo knit with a touch of lycra and a 14 ounce bamboo fleece. “These are beautiful, sumptuous fabrics that offer a great hand, beautiful rich colors, move with the body and have bacterial resistant qualities – what more could you want for children’s wear?”, says Holli Gibson, designer of LamanBlu.

Drawing inspiration from the winter landscape, Gibson says, “This collection was inspired by the frozen surfaces of winter, from the smooth, soft snow blanketing the hillsides, to the positively brilliant snow crystals which sparkle in the moonlight, as brilliantly as any diamond.” Colors for this season play against a backdrop of winter white, primary colors focusing on a silvery pewter and a baby kiss pink, with aubergine and barberry as accents. Frosty, shiny elements of sparkle organza, embroidery and beading offer exciting accents, while hand printed mica pigments and natural shell buttons continue the comment on the eco-focus of the line.

The new collection can be viewed at www.LamanBlu.com and will be available in specialty stores for Fall 2009.
For retailers interested in viewing the line or hosting a trunk show, please contact Holli Gibson at holli.gibson@lamanblu.com

LamanBlu Announces Debut of Fall 2009 Collection for Retailers

Whimsical designer, Holli Gibson, is launching her new, highly anticipated line of couture clothing for children, available only through retail stores.

Golden, Colorado – February 17, 2009 – Holli Gibson is preparing for the upcoming launch of LamanBlu, a wholesale clothing line which includes couture children’s sportswear and mother/daughter dresses, along with select accessories. The debut collection will be sold in upscale specialty boutiques across the US for Fall 2009.

Gibson created LamanBlu to celebrate the harmony of childhood and parenthood. Her collection is styled for the parent and child who want something uniquely beautiful, fashionable and comfortable. Keeping with her philosophy, only the highest quality of fabrics are chosen, with attention to the eco-impact those choices have. Her sportswear based collection gives customers the ability to pick and choose the pieces that will enhance their own unique look. Select styles are also available in adult sizing. “Mother-daughter dressing has always been in vogue, though stylelistically it has been focused on the adult wearing a larger version of a child’s dress. I wanted to take the beautiful concept of mother-daughter dressing and update it with a modern, grown up aesthetic. These are dresses that are designed to make a statement on their own, and when you bring them together, the result is enchanting,” says Gibson.

From her design studio in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Gibson has called LamanBlu’s debut collection “Being the Fabulous”. It is a sportswear based collection in a sumptuous and silky eco-friendly bamboo knit fabric. “The color palette of this collection has deep expansiveness and muted tones with a subtle richness,” says Gibson. “In many ways, this collection was inspired by the frozen surfaces of winter, from the smooth, soft snow blanketing the hillsides, to the positively brilliant snow crystals which sparkle in the moonlight, as brilliantly as any diamond. I always crave fabrics with a soft, sumptuous hand to curl up with in the winter, and the bamboo knit of this collection fills the bill perfectly, along with the cashmere tam to top everything off.” To accent against the soft knit, there is a sparkle organza and an embroidered and beaded lace. According to Stahl’s Color Forecasting service, “Unexpected Poetry moves into the mysterious realm of hypnotic dark colors, colors that are strongly reminiscent of the long dark evenings to come as winter progresses. However, other aspects of winter, snow, ice and frost lead to a panorama of colors that are timeless and even seasonless.” This is an apt description of LamanBlu’s debut line.

Gibson brings breadth and depth of apparel manufacturing experience, working with boutiques and major chains alike. Gibson’s understanding of retail floor sales presentation and seasonal transitions are an advantage for retailers seeking growth. LamanBlu’s debut collection encourages creativity of layering, with pieces designed not only to enhance the customer’s personal style but also to provide retailers with the much needed add-on sales during these difficult economic times. LamanBlu is currently seeking brick and mortar partners for launch celebrations in major US cities.

For more information visit http://www.lamanblu.com/. To participate in launch celebrations, contact Gibson at holli.gibson@LamanBlu.com.