Hudson's Childrenswear Review Magazine - February 2011

Denver Design Incubator (DDI) Offers Portfolio Workshop

Denver Design Incubator (DDI) Offers Portfolio Workshop for Fashion Designers and Students Looking to Create a Professional Showcase of Their Work.

The Denver Design Incubator holds their second in an ongoing series of workshops open to the public. This latest offering, a portfolio workshop, will be held Saturday, February 26th from 2:00-4:00pm at the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center (CNDC), 4130 Tejon Street, Suite A, Denver, CO 80211.

Attendees will be working one on one with industry professionals including local fashion designers, college fashion professors, art directors, and graphic artists. This is a hands-on workshop to provide constructive feedback on current portfolios, build a better understanding of the different types and purposes of portfolios, and gain hands-on education in compiling a fashion portfolio in a manner that will ultimately create future opportunities.

As colleagues, designers will be able to collaborate on ideas with the intent of showcasing not only a professional view of their best work, but creatively making it appealing and marketable. Both emerging and established designers, as well as students and interns will work to build professional portfolios, increasing their reputation as artists and savvy marketers of their work.

This workshop will be open to the public with a total of twenty spots available. Cash, check or credit card payment of $45.00. Reservations are suggested and can be made online through DDI’s website, www.denverdesignincubator.com or by contacting Holli Gibson, the Director of Design & Education for DDI at 720-837-1452 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 720-837-1452 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or holli.gibson@lamanblu.com. Walk-ins will also be accepted at the time of the workshop, space allowing. Attendees should bring their current portfolios, pictures, and drawings.

The mission of the Denver Design Incubator is to help emerging fashion designers into business, thus stimulating entrepreneurial activity and encouraging small business growth to the benefit of the Colorado economy. The DDI will provide comprehensive facilities and services, to help students through the myriad of issues and challenges that can beset new ventures, and in so doing, enhance their chances of business success, with the end goal being for designers to leave the Incubator with successful, viable fashion businesses. DDI will create and support Denver’s position as a center of the Apparel Industry in the US, which will enhance employment and tax revenues for Colorado through the growth of business.

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Denver Design Incubator is a non-profit organization modeled after successful design incubators in Toronto, Chicago, and New York. The recently formed Board of Directors includes designers of Colorado apparel manufacturers, fashion lawyers and finance experts, design educators, and retail specialists. DDI is a 501c3 project of the CNDC.

Denver Design Incubator - Moving Fashion Forward

Interview with Eden Lane on In Focus about the Denver Design Incubator

LamanBlu Launches New Website, www.LamanBlu.com

New Site Provides Improved Navigation, Access to Rich Content and Wholesale Only Area for Buyers.

LamanBlu, eco-friendly designer children’s apparel, has launched a brand-new Flash website this month. The site, www.LamanBlu.com is designed in direct response to LamanBlu’s research into what the customer really wants.

LamanBlu CEO Holli Gibson says: “We have had many requests from our boutiques wanting easier on-line access to wholesale ordering information. This is in response to the changing wholesale environment in this country. Buyers are looking to do more work from their stores, without doing as much travel to view and purchase lines. In addition, we receive many direct requests from consumers now for information. This site is designed to provide businesses and consumers with easily navigated access to linesheets, lookbooks, trend reports, and more. Our second phase of the site will also provide consumers direct links to where they can purchase LamanBlu online.”

The dramatically redesigned site embodies the company’s forward-thinking vision and commitment to the growing needs of its fans. It offers:

• Rich content provided through direct connection to LamanBlu’s Blog and Twitter feed
• More intuitive navigation
• Interactive display using multimedia including on-line catalogs, video feeds and slide shows
• Private login area for boutiques to see wholesale pricing and place orders

The site’s homepage welcomes visitors with clean, uncluttered design and moving images from LamanBlu’s latest collections. The website features new types of digital content, inspired by LamanBlu’s photo shoots and fashion shows.

LamanBlu™ is eco-friendly designer clothing with classically beautiful silhouettes and a modern edge. It’s dresses and coordinated separates for girls sizes 6 mos – 6x.

LamanBlu is known for it’s designer quality fabrics and extensive detailing. The collection is uniquely merchandised to give boutiques options to customize the look for their store, control normally only given to the largest department stores.

LamanBlu™ debuted to rave reviews in 2009. Holli Gibson, the designer for LamanBlu™, is an industry veteran with much of her time spent designing women’s apparel for both boutiques and major high end retailers including Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom’s. She is also the recipient of The Rising Star Award for Design from Fashion Group International.

LamanBlu™ is trend forward in terms of colors and styling. It is a pretty, girly collection where the twirl of the skirt is very important. Lovely embellishments, vibrant color schemes, and whimsical silhouettes are an homage to/a celebration of the creative and playful nature of childhood. Everything in the collection is extensively tested for quality and durability. The entire line is also machine wash and machine dry, ironing optional. All of the colors, prints and screen prints in the collection are custom designed and exclusive to LamanBlu™.

Early Fall 2011 Trend Reports Starting to Flow In

The Early Fall 2011 Shows are underway and the trendspotters have gone to work. We're please that they're picking up on the trends we reported as most important.

Here's some of this morning's headlines: (from Bobbi Queen for WWD)

Forget Black - Because this is the season of reds, purples, blues and even grays!

Flower Delivery!

Time & Again - Designers glance back and move forward for fall

LamanBlu Releases its Fall I 2011 Lookbook

Cozy log cabins and forests of aspen convey the key feeling for the season. The forests quickly become enchanted for children, tinged in medieval lore with lush materials and deep saturated colors. Wrap them in the luxury of sustainable fabrics – from beautifully draping bamboo to organic cottons to delightful faux furs – all trimmed in cotton lace and soft velvet ribbons.

Fall is a time to play, to escape, to explore, to shine. Little girls will be doing that beautifully in LamanBlu for next fall. "Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."
- Stanley Horowitz

LamanBlu has divided their collection for fall along classic women’s wear seasons, introducing Fall I for an early fall delivery, with Fall II/Holiday to be released by March for a late fall delivery. “This is giving us an opportunity to appeal to the early adopters for the season, with a collection focused for back to school and then introducing fresh merchandise focused on the winter and holiday season,” says Holli Gibson, designer for LamanBlu.

LamanBlu’s color palette for the season encompasses the bright and yummy colors of boysenberry, blackberry, marshmallow, granny smith apple and chocolate – accented with porcelain, mallard and chateau rose. All of which present a warm yet colorful appeal for the back to school season. Solids in varying color tonal combinations and contrasts rule the season, but there are also snow leopard prints and digital antique lace prints as well.

LamanBlu continues with their classic and wearable silhouettes, all made special by their extensive detailing and attention to those details. In addition to cotton lace and velvet ribbons, embroideries provide surface interest in both matching and contrast colors. Sweetheart dresses and tops reminisce of a bygone era of prettiness along with scalloped bottom skirts. Swing T’s and leggings with lettuce hemming provide numerous layering options. The ballet jumper dress and top can be either elegant or funky depending on coloration and layering choices and are accented with either leather or taffeta roses. The layered full circular skirt twirls like none other. Top them all with a beautiful bustle jacket for style and warmth. Accessory pieces include hats and fur capes and skirts.

LamanBlu Reports on the Top Trends for Fall/Holiday 2011

Cozy log cabins and forests of aspen convey the key feeling for the season. The forests quickly become enchanted for children, tinged in medieval lore with lush materials and deep saturated colors. Wrap them in the luxury of sustainable fabrics – from beautifully draping bamboo to organic cottons to delightful faux furs – all trimmed in cotton lace and soft velvet ribbons.

Pantone’s theme for the season is “Wonder” and focuses on artistic drama, sustainability and life balance. Pink continues as a whimsical, fun, spirited and romantic color which blends into a dramatic and bold red by holiday. Whites continue for winter bringing a peaceful innocence. Blues are prevalent as they promote feelings which are trustworthy, calming, dependable, eternal, hopeful.

LamanBlu’s color palette for the season reflects these trends and others – encompassing warm yet bright and yummy colors of boysenberry, blackberry, marshmallow, granny smith apple and chocolate – accented with porcelain, mallard, chateau rose and pewter.

Trend Bible talks of the Polar Explorer fueling the adventure of imagination. Warm handle and felted fabrics reference a new aesthetic for kids’ products. What better way to stay warm in a snowy climate than in wool hats and fingerless gloves and over the knee socks? Find them in solids, slubs and stripes in furry fibers from wool to alpaca to cashmere.

Holiday brings a mood of fantasy inspired by a glamorous haute couture style focused on luxurious and sophisticated fabrics. Soft bamboo contrasted by crisp sparkle organza. Custom printed bamboo fleece in iridescent mica printed snowflakes. Embroidered lace and natural pearl beading bring luxury to any setting.

Spin Expo talks of the Passages of Time: “It is a time to move away from playing it safe with the classic and plain. Now is a time to take a stand for being special, unique and therefore creating the desire to own.” It is a time to play, to escape, to explore, to shine!

In terms of print trends, Mudpie is reporting concealed lace print designs and digital photo prints still reign. Simple color contrasts remain important as well as the continuing leopard trend. Hand painted and hand printed stripes and snowflakes are dramatic and artistic and play to the do-it-yourself aesthetic.

In terms of jewelry – natural beauty of semi precious stones reign. Trendcapsule reports the importance of smoky quartz, colorful agate, garnet, amethyst, jade and misshapen natural pearls.