Market Leader Continues Growth in Lifestyle Category
(Vancouver, BC, Canada) – Popular women’s apparel designer Linda Hipp and her company, LIJA, launch five striking collections for Spring 2008 featuring an expanded range of technical blends, LIJA-designed prints and an entirely new group of comfortable leisure wear. The collections will be on display Aug. 27-30 at WWDMAGIC, Booth #WS 16416, in the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The collections – Life of Leisure, Eye Candy, Runway Luxe, Spring Fling and Sweet Georgia Brown – showcase soft tones and sophisticated colors, sleek lines and feminine details. Fusing tech-specific fabrics with LIJA exclusive plaids and prints, the company has created more than 200 pieces of trend-setting contemporary sportswear.
The latest offerings include comfortable, eco-friendly fibres that dry quickly and wick away moisture, provide odor- and wind-resistance, are waterproof, breathable and anti-static.
"Spring 2008 is indicative of how much LIJA has grown and evolved in the last decade," says Hipp, principal designer and founder. "All five collections showcase LIJA’s design philosophy of blending sport, leisure and fashion. Eye Candy and Runway Luxe, offering more ‘sporty’ styling, are distinctly different from Spring Fling and Sweet Georgia Brown which boast a more ‘eclectic, vintage’ flair. We have more styles in a season than ever before."
Filled with crisp, athletic styles, the Life of Leisure collection represents LIJA’s broadening reach in the lifestyle category. The cotton-based vests, jackets, t-shirts, shorts and capris were all created to provide women with ultimate comfort during their leisure pursuits.
Staples for every sport-enthusiast’s closet include the cotton Lux Knit Bocce Vest, which features a ruched collar, the Willow S/S Windshirt made from a golf-specific technical fabric and the modal-blend Moda Ella Polo with contrast detailing. These pieces epitomize LIJA’s ability to create chic designs with broad appeal for the urban market.
"As we continue to grow in the lifestyle category, our mandate is to create pieces that work for all aspects of a woman’s busy and active life," says Hipp. "The clothes are meant to be an extension of who you are to help you achieve your personal best in all that you do."
In support of the company’s growth with the Spring 2008 collections – including an expanded line of accessories featuring belts, headbands, tote bags, socks and visors – LIJA is pursuing a proactive fashion distribution strategy. The brand has released its first lookbook to help draw attention from audiences to the new styles and will attend the season’s major fashion trade shows.
Retailing from $20 for boyshorts to $180 for select outerwear, the collections are highlighted in a 52-page catalog that is currently available for retailers and media members. The new catalog includes the "Hipp Factor" – which calls out Hipp’s favorite pieces from each collection. These pieces will also be profiled as such at retail with garment packaging.
LIJA is a staple in finer golf and non-golf retailers across North America, including world-renowned resorts and clubs like Pebble Beach, Doral, Kiawah Island, Whistling Straights and Congressional.
More information is available at www.LIJAStyle.com or 604.270.6060.
About the Collections:
The newest addition to the LIJA lineup, Life of Leisure is filled with crisp casual leisurewear essential for any closet. The cotton-based vests, jackets, tees, shorts and capris are designed to give you comfort wherever your leisure life takes you.
15 pieces, ships Nov. 23, 2007
Eye Candy kick-starts Spring 2008 with vibrant colors of lollipop, lipstick, nectar and damsel. The styling and details of the collection create a slightly preppy feel with a sassy twist. Add the pizzazz of LIJA’s argyle and plaid prints, and you’re set to make a statement.
51 pieces, ships January 15, 2008
Runway Luxe is the most sophisticated collection of the season with a beautiful French navy base mixed with the rich colors of cranberry, honey and mist. Sleek designs and fabrics grace this group in the line’s new "tech woven" and "calvary twill."
51 pieces, ships February 15, 2008
A vintage flair emanates from Spring Fling – think back to the "Jackie O" days where femininity was the key ingredient in styling. Pretty polos with sweet details like scoop necks, key holes and rounded collars are found throughout. Mix them with fitted knee shorts or wide leg capris and you’ll be sure to get "the look."
53 pieces, ships March 1, 2008
The colors themselves make Sweet Georgia Brown a delicious collection – nut, cocoa, seafoam and creamsicle. These soft tones create a very warm spring palette for this casual and playful group. Oversized buttons, bib detailing and unique prints round out LIJA’s Spring 2008 collections.
51 pieces, ships April 1, 2008
About LIJA
LIJA is a market leader in fashion-forward styles featuring feminine and comfortable silhouettes inspired by the fusion of sport, leisure and fashion. The brand’s distinctive excellence is driven by LIJA’s passion, commitment and dedication to creating innovative designs.
LIJA has received significant recognition within and outside the golf industry, achieving organic annual sales growth of at least 50 percent each of the past seven years. Enjoying a rapidly expanding sales force and account base in North America, LIJA recently began selling into the UK, Australian and Japanese markets.
Recent recognition for the company includes:
â?¢ 2007 PGA Magazine – Resort Top Seller
â?¢ 2007 PGA Magazine – Private Course Top Seller
â?¢ 2007 Best of Show Honors at PGA Show – Golfing Magazine
â?¢ 2007 PROFIT 100 Rankings of Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies
â?¢ 2006 PROFIT W100 Ranking of Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs
â?¢ 2006 Business in Vancouver "BC’s 50 Fastest-Growing Companies"
â?¢ 2005 Canadian Golf Company of the Year – Score Golf magazine
â?¢ North America’s "Top-5 Up-and-Coming Women’s Golf Apparel" – GolfWorld Business
Individually, Linda Hipp has been honored as a grant recipient of the Matinee Fashion Foundation Award, which annually recognizes and funds select Canadian designers, and voted a "40 Under 40" winner by Business in Vancouver.
An avid and highly-skilled golfer, Hipp struggled to find on-course apparel that meshed with her off-course fashion sensibility. Recognizing a market opportunity – and the chance to combine her passions for fashion, golf and business – Hyp Golf was launched in July 1997. The company re-branded as LIJA in late 2004. Chiefly influenced by both European trends and West Coast style, Hipp has garnered a widespread reputation as one of North America’s hottest sportswear designers.
Contact:
Andrea Latta
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3383
alatta@billycaspergolf.com
