Press Release

PHILADELPHIA-AREA DESIGNERS ARE MORE Independent City’s Independence Shines Through Its Homegrown Design Talent

PHILADELPHIA, September 27, 2007 - Philadelphia’s independence doesn’t stop at its famous cracked bell. Today, the city’s entrepreneurs run boutiques that reflect their personal styles, design clothing and accessories for internationally renowned stores and craft furniture that fills the homes of the region—and the country. Philadelphia boasts tip-top design schools, a burgeoning gallery scene, a booming retail arena and an inherent free spirit that give designers fertile ground to develop, grow and flourish.

 

Accessories:

Maren Reese – Convertible, multi-use scarves—in earthy reds, tweedy herringbones, creamy felts and sophisticated satins—have transformed Letau Designs from a craft-show cottage industry into a force in fashion. Credit for the South Philadelphia-based line’s success is due to artist Maren Reese and her late partner in life and design, Robert Matunda. (267)241-5815, www.letaudesigns.com

http://www.gophila.com/go/PressRoom/pressreleases/latest_news/Philadelphia_area_Designers_Are_More_Independent.aspx

New York, NY (1888PressRelease) December 05, 2008 - On Friday December 5th and Saturday December 6th from 7:00 to 10:00pm the CATWALK event held at the Painted Bride Art Center at 230 Vine Street in Philadelphia PA. Designer Debra Ginyard will show her accessory collection from her established brand Dot & Snookie. Dot and Snookie is a colorful collection inspired by Debra Ginyard.

The fashion show and cocktail will benefit the Evoluer House. The Evoluer House is a non-profit organization that provides a wide range of specialized youth and personal development-related services for disadvantaged teen girls. 100% of the proceeds benefit The Evoluer House after school programs helping girls reach their full potential. The event focuses on fashion and talent in the Philadelphia area. Cheryl Waddington of Evoluer has hand picked all of the designers for this event and is proud to showcase such innovative talents.

The attendees of the event include some of Philly’s brightest stars and then some, Already confirmed attendants are ABC 6, NBC 10, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Tribune, Gucci Worldwide Visual Director, NYC Art Director Duane Thomas, and more.

Debra Ginyard took the fashion world by storm when she burst onto the New York scene and is quickly establishing herself as one of the most revered stylists in the industry. The Philadelphia native has had her work appear in publications such as Vibe, FHM, The Face, Details, That Magazine and Essence Magazine.

Dot & Snookie consists of shirts, hats, belts, handbags, and key chains creatively adorned with lace and ribbon. The garments are vibrant and come in a wide range of colors from pretty pastels to scorching bright patterns. Each design is named after the women in Ms. Ginyard’s family as they all have different tastes and sensibilities, which can be seen in the collection.

Debra loves coming up with new and exciting designs for Dot & Snookie, but this is just one of the items on her agenda. In addition to sharing her fashion-world experiences Debra is currently the Style Director for Runwaynews.com and you can see her posted interview with EBay’s Style Director Contance White and some footage of her styling recording artist LaTonya Blige sister of Mary J. Blige.

Debra’s fashions are being displayed at Showroom 77 (Location 1520 Kater Street, Philadelphia, PA). Showroom 77 is hosting a Social Style Holiday Mingle and Shopping event this Saturday, December 6, 12:00PM. You can enjoy great holiday discounts, networking, music, desserts, and Showroom 77 signature cocktails…Featuring Dot and Snookie, Walish Gooshe, letau Designs, Agony by Bela Shehu, Retro Chick by Pietra, Heebie Jewelry, Footwear by Micahel Antonio, Luv Bug, Bags by Elizabeth Bayu and Vintique visit www.showroom77.net for more information on the event.

Dot & Snookie, geared to the confident, trendy young woman, who likes to ‘wow’ a crowd with daring and sexy or fun and flirty fashion statements, is now being sold at upscale, trendy boutiques such as Pieces, in Brooklyn, N.Y., N Harlem store, Harlem N.Y, and Planet Earth, Bronx NY and more.

Sometimes the best ideas are those kept simple. Take, for example, Letau Designs’ pair of signature scarves, both designed by Maren Reese and her late partner, Robert Matunda. The reversible hooded scarf can be worn with the hood raised or lowered and with either side of the double-sided scarf exposed depending on your mood. The drawstring scarf can be worn as an ordinary flat scarf, but it’s much more exciting if you pull the scarf’s internal drawstrings to gather the fabric, morphing it into an organically-shaped Elizabethan ruff. Alternatively, you can wear it as a shrug by tying the drawstrings behind your back. Dramatic and functional accessories, either scarf can instantly add a striking twist to a party dress and a hint of boho-chic-ness to a basic winter coat while keeping you warm and toasty.

It’s not only the innovative design that draws a repeat clientele to Letau. Maren’s careful choice of textiles attracts diverse and sophisticated customers who’ve been buying up these scarves since the company started this past year. Crafted from ornate brocade, iridescent taffeta, nubby wool, understated silk and bright stretch jersey, the beautiful materials alone induce you to fancy more than just one.

While Maren has dabbled in other accessories and sees the company’s product line expanding, for now she’s taking a cautious approach, focusing her energies on establishing the drawstring scarf as a staple in every woman’s closet.

To reach her goal, Letau Designs’ scarves are already carried in quite a few stores, both around Philadelphia and beyond. In addition, Letau is available for trunk shows, home shopping parties, or by appointment in her South Philadelphia studio, and within a few months, you’ll be able to buy their scarves online at letaudesigns.com.

Letau Designs’ scarves are available at the following retail locations:

Echochic
1700 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 569-9555
www.echochic.com

Closet Fever
707 North 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 627-4600
www.closetfever.com

Topstitch
311 Market Street, 2nd floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(267) 322-4057
www.topstitchboutique.com

Remix
716 N 3rd St
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(267) 861-6500

By Lauren McCutcheon
Photography by Brett Thomas

Some of the most beautiful, changeable wool, satin and textured scarves come from a converted artist’s loft in South Philadelphia. Last year, designer Maren Reese and her late partner, Robert Matunda, came up with two kinds of woven wraps — and the couple couldn’t make either fast enough. The first style includes a drawstring with a toggle: Cinch the string, and the scarf becomes an organic, geometric ruffle. Let the string out, and the scarf stays flat, perfect for turning into a belt, a bolero for a dress, or a traditional neck wrap. The second style is simpler — just a reversible hood that extends into two long, flat ends. “You can wear it in the wintertime and it doesn’t mess up your hair,” says Reese. The designs are simple, smart, unerringly of-the-moment, and flying off the racks. $66-$350.

Available at Closet Fever, Conspiracy Showroom and Echo Chic.

From: http://www.phillymag.com/articles/good_life_homegrown_wrap_artists/

Letau Designs's ingenious drawstring scarves that I like to think of as Elizabethan ruffs, designed by Maren Reese, above in the red Guatemalan number. She also makes cozy "hoodie scarves" that are basically scarves with hoods attached. When you're not wearing the hood, it blends into the scarf. I couldn't decide between a drawstring or a hoodie or even on a fabric within either category. Maren finds some great textiles that give her collection a wide range of styles, from juniors-department chic to trés elegante. Luckily, there's a trunk show at Letau's studio on the 27th where I'll probably end up buying one of each. Each personality needs a scarf, right? (More info on that show to come later this week—it's going to be a good one, with Letau Designs plus many more designers of jewelry, accessories and clothing.

From: http://design-phan.squarespace.com/design-phan/2007/10/23/post-post-post.html

The plight of the local artist is a noble one, but not necessarily the most lucrative or glamorous. Which is frustrating, especially when you're as talented as Maren Reese, Stefani Threet, Rakia Reynolds and Zivile Pupinyte. Instead of sitting around waiting for Philly to properly embrace them, the women joined together to form Le Affaire, a series of trunk shows showcasing their work. "If you're a local artist, people expect you to put your stuff on consignment and let it sit," says Reese, the force behind Letau Designs. "This isn't a game to us — this is what we do."

Far from your typical Sunday afternoon shopping trip, the first full-scale Le Affaire features DJs John Schenk and Lexx, massages, LUSH goodie bags and refreshments courtesy of sponsors such as Fizzy Lizzy and Metropolitan Bakery. "We wanted this to be a relaxed environment where you can pick up one-of-a-kind pieces," says Reese. These include her own signature hooded and drawstring scarves, ceramics by Threet, high-end jewelry by Pupinyte and vintage-inspired clothing by Reynolds.

In addition to the organizers, upcoming designers such as Joy Cutler, Kay Louise and Claudia Whittingham will have work on display. Their inclusion isn't a surprise, considering the refreshing motivation behind Le Affaire. "Instead of being each other's competition," says Reese, "we figured, let's team up."

Sat.-Sun., Nov. 17-18, 1-6 p.m., Letau Designs Studio, 621 Reed St., Suite 2R, 215-964-9237

From: http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/11/15/just-do-it

Girlfriends. Shopping. Cosmos.

And lots of all three.

Picture Sex and the City, set in a boutique the size of three football fields.

Shecky’s Girls Night Out, coming Friday and Saturday to the 23rd Street Armory in Philadelphia, combines five continuous hours of discount shopping for designer fashions and beauty products with copious complimentary cocktails, not to mention Shecky’s famous overstuffed goodie bag.

A traveling retail extravaganza, Shecky’s brings scores of vendors under one roof, then turns the gals loose. Expect discounts of up to 75 percent, plus lots of dear little freebies. Here’s a video glimpse of girls gone wild. http://www.sheckys.com/video/news.asp?videoid=31

The indie and emerging vendors showcasing their wares will include, among others, Accentuations, All That Accessories, American Laser Centers, Ananda, Arbonne International, Ayazakura, LLC, Baci Jewelry, Bambina di Cioccolato Accessories, Beijo Bags, Bella Oro , Blakely Ink, Boutique Street, Bouvier Designs, Center for Body Contouring, Eda & Betty, El Designs, Enchantress, Eyesave Inc, Five Smooth Stones, Friendz Inc., Good Looking Clothing, Grace Oliver, Hip Chic Couture, Idelle Labs (Epilstop), Idelle Labs (SeaBreeze), Idelle Labs (SkinMilk), Irresistibles, It Works!, Jahanna Martinez, Jockey Person to Person, Kate & Ali Co., KT Collection, Laser Cosmetica, Letau Designs, Lexi Lu, Lolabean, Love Rocks Boutique, Lucid Studio, Marie Elanne Inc., Marzee, Michael Darouiche, Paul Aude, Not Just Jewelry, Queen Bee Designs, Sylvia’s Fashion Imports, Uptown Savvy, Velvetbell.com and Volang.

General admission tickets are $10; $25 will get you in the door, plus Shecky’s renowned goodie bag. Because shopping can be a great team sport, groups will receive a 20-percent girlfriends’ discount on admissions. For more info, go to www.sheckys.com or call 212.242.2566.

From: http://blogs.courierpostonline.com/shop/2007/09/25/oh-goodie-sheckys-girls-night-out/

Ladies you can be just as financially forward as you are fashion forward. Are you one of those kazillion women who are addicted to buying bags? Well, I am! I decided to invest in a bag that comes with a TWO FOR ONE DEAL! Now lets face it, we all can't resist the buy one get one free deals that the ever conscious marketers promote to lure us in. This reversible bag with beautiful prints on each side caught my eye. You can use this bag year round because one side captures those free roaming fabrics and soft colored prints of the summer, while the other side provides you with the richer and bolder textures and colors of the fall. The bag is made with textured upholstery fabric on one side and a light and breathable fabric on the other. Both sides exude vibrant colors and the wooden handle (made of pure pine) gives it an elegant kick. Ladies, do use bags that you can carry year round to get more bang for your buck. This new bag by Letau Designs gives women the option of two bag designs when they can't make a choice. If you are an indecisive hen like me, you'll love the idea of buying something and being able to change your mind from time to time.

From: http://flygirls.typepad.com/fly/rakias_fashion_tips/

Letau Designs Hooded Scarves two in one!

It was Wanda’s idea to take the road trip of a lifetime. She enlisted her mustachioed buddy, Chip, hoping it would spark some romance.

But 800 miles later, Wanda was fidgety from her failed flirting attempts. Chip was oblivious. She needed a new plan.

So she brought his attention to her Letau Designs scarf (and, more importantly, her lovely neck). She told him about the streamlined cut and vintage fabric. She ticked off the other coveted styles: wool herringbone, tweed, silk noil, brocade.

Suddenly, she had Chip’s attention. Was it getting warm in that RV, or was it just her?

Then she showed him how cute the scarf looked around her head, and he fell madly in love.

Which is when they decided to tie the knot.

From: http://www.dailycandy.com/philadelphia/article/29390/Hooded+Bandits