Lyric Jeans YE Summary

Is anyone still following Lyric Jeans (besides Tina Fey)? Ok here goes:

Lyric Jeans, Inc. (Other OTC: LYJN.PK) is pleased to provide its shareholders with a year-end report reviewing the company's progress and advances over the last 10 months. In less than one year Lyric Jeans has accomplished its objectives in developing and launching its premium lifestyle brand Lyric Culture.

"I am more enthusiastic about Lyric Culture than any other venture I've ever undertaken in my life," said Hanna Rochelle Schmieder, President of Lyric Jeans, Inc. "In a very short period of time, we've built the foundation for a music and fashion powerhouse that will take the world by storm," she continued.

"We have the best music partners in the world and a tremendous team of graphic artists, designers, patternmakers and manufacturers who together under HANNA's direction are breaking ground with truly outside the box thinking in terms of both design and marketing," said Ronny Halperin, CEO of Lyric Jeans. "In the new year, we look forward to taking the steps toward becoming a fully reporting company and building Lyric Culture into a household brand name," he added.

In 2006 Lyric Jeans, Inc:

-- Forged strategic partnerships and entered into licensing agreements with the world's largest and most prominent music publishers including Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell, Sony/ATV, BMG, EMI, Peermusic, Chrysalis and Cherry Lane Music Group

-- Opened a Los Angeles-based design studio and corporate office

-- Engaged the garment industry's leading contractors to manufacture its product including American Garment Sewing, Inkworks Studio, Fashion Connection and Caravan.

-- Retained the Kathy Walker Showroom to head up sales at the prestigious New Mart in the heart of the fashion district in downtown Los Angeles

-- Launched a state-of-the-art website and e-store in time for the holiday shopping season

-- Secured distribution for its product at high-end department store Saks Fifth Avenue

-- Hired renowned fashion PR agency People's Revolution to head up marketing, publicity and branding

-- Attracted celebrity attention from actress Brooke Burke who wore Lyric Culture on the hit CBS TV series "Rockstar Supernova"; Kelly Clarkson who wore a Lyric tee to open up NASCAR; Tina Fey who wore Lyric product for editorial in Rolling Stone

-- Was reviewed in Women's Wear Daily, Fairchild's prestigious daily trade publication which serves as the authority for the fashion and retail industries

-- Was the subject of a two-page feature article in California Apparel News which touted Lyric as "one of the more ambitious and original denim launches in some time."

-- Announced its debut collection titled 'Lyric Culture Revolution' featuring a comprehensive product line including denim and leather jackets, jeans, shorts, skirts, corsets, tee shirts and belt buckles

-- Hosted the America album release party with Sony/BMG and the album release celebration for the New York Dolls.

In 2007 Lyric Jeans, Inc. plans to continue growing its business by establishing Lyric Culture as the leading rock n' roll lifestyle brand. The company intends to showcase its product at premiere industry tradeshows, expand its sales effort and distribution nationally and internationally, increase its product line to include menswear, hire additional designers and management, host celebrity driven A-list events, garner editorial placement in national consumer publications and enter into various name and likeness deals with music icons.

Lyric Culture uses the words of legendary artists in the design of denim and leather jackets, shorts, skirts, corsets, tee shirts and belt buckles. Every item in the collection reflects the personality, style and flare of the artist and song through its design. Lyric Culture honors these artists and their timeless words by fusing high fashion and music in a groundbreaking way, allowing the wearer to express themselves through the words of a classic song -- a modern twist to wearing your heart on your sleeve (and pant leg)!

Market Wire via Yahoo

Paper Denim & Cloth x Endurance Collabo

The WWD has the scoop on PDC's partnership with Endurance LLC, a manufacturer with licensing deals with Joseph Abboud, Rocawear, State Property and Pro-Keds. Endurance will be at the Women's & Children's Chicago Apparel Market in June of 2007 if you want to meet their team.

If you remember earlier this year PDC jumped ship from premium premium to middle premium and went to Mexico for cut and sew in the hopes of reaching mass market. This latest move is part of that growth initiative.

Joe's Getting a Shot of Cash

The boys over at Innovo/Joe's Jeans (NASDAQ: INNO) raised some private equity recently. The details came out today as (via MarketWatch):

$3.6 million of new equity financing through a private placement. The company said it sold 6.8 million shares at 53 cents a share in the placement, along with warrants to purchase an additional 2.1 million shares at an exercise price of 58 cents a share.

MarketWatch Article

Try Chinese-made Jeans, Get Stung

Ouch! A Japanese customer gets stung while trying on a pair of jeans that were made in China. No, the Japanese fashion mob didn't call her out on buying Chinese made goods. Apparently a live scorpion came as a bonus in the pockets of the jeans. From BBC News:

The woman, on the southern island of Okinawa, ended up in hospital for five days as a result of the sting, which was not life-threatening.

Local health officials captured the 5cm (2 inch) scorpion, which was believed to be a Chinese bark scorpion.

It is thought to have travelled inside the jeans from China, where they were made.

[...]

When she rubbed the area with her hand, the scorpion then stung her right index finger.

The poor woman's name was withheld, no doubt from fear of the local fashion police. We're sure that's the last time she risks her stingy neck with MIC jeans. Thanks Paul Trynka for the tip.

In separate news from unconfirmed source: Made-in-China jeans have become a raging fad with Japanese teens hoping to score a live scorpion. Overnight the stock price of the country's top novelty vending machine company drops to mere cents as the once-loyal market turns to "quarter jeans" (we're fact-checking the translation) for their fix. All we can say is it's a numbers game.

BBC News Article

Denim Design Lab Jeans

Our friends over at the Denim Design Lab is launching their own line of mens jeans. They are made in LA using Cone's White Oak goods, which is a line of selvedge denim made in Greensboro, North Carolina using vintage shuttle looms.

Following on the success of our one-of-a-kind Denim Design Lab denim finishing kits and limited edition premium T's, DDL will be expanding its collection with an amazing offering of denim jeans geared toward true denim aficionados.

The inspiration for the first collection is what we term "Modern Vintage." Drawing from details, manufacturing techniques and fabrications that make true vintage denim so desirable, we add DDL's modern design flair to enhance each style, creating what we believe are the "perfect jeans."

The "raw canvas upon which to create"...
To supplement our unique Denim Design Lab kits, we are introducing a revolutionary denim jean - a raw vintage inspired selvage jean, at a retail price point of only $100.

The collection moves from this opening price point raw style, to three expertly washed versions in the same silhouette, all the way up to a group of ultra-premium, limited edition, hand-numbered washed styles priced at $250.00+, each made from Cone "Black Seed" pima cotton, the most luxurious denim available today.

The entire collection is manufactured in Los Angeles, CA, utilizing 100% selvage denim from Cone Denim's White Oak plant in North Carolina.

Denim Design Lab ("DDL") Denim, launching in Fall '07, will be offered through the world's finest denim based specialty retailers.

Brian over at DDL knows how much we love denim history and process. Here's some juicy details your other denim blogs missed:

To end up with the unique look and luxurious feel of these denim garments, we had to start with the absolute best long staple cotton money could buy; gossypium barbadense or "Black Seed" cotton. First grown in the USA in 1790, Black Seed cotton developed into what was called "Sea Island" Cotton. The seeds of this particular strain of cotton made its way to Egypt in the late 1800's (i.e., "Egyptian Cotton"). In contrast, the bulk of all cotton used today is derived from the more common "gossypium hirsutum" or "upland" strain of cotton. The fibers of this strain are shorter and thicker than that of the Black Seed variety. The significantly longer fibers and softer feel of the Black Seed cotton results in denim which is so soft and supple, that even when raw, the denim feels as comfortable as an aged pair of jeans. When the US government required a particularly strong tire cord for airplanes in the mid 1900's, it established a program to reintroduce the Black Seed cotton variety back into the USA. In honor of the Pima Indians who worked on the reintroduction project, the cotton fibers they produced were called "pima" (i.e., "Pima Cotton").

The superior Black Seed cotton is woven on vintage shuttle looms in Cone Denim's historic White Oak plant in North Carolina. The unique yarn appearance of this denim is the result of a carefully engineered slub pattern designed to replicate "mistakes" in the weaving process that would occur if there was a broken gear on the spinning machine or if a roll had a flat spot on one side. The particular look is described as a "flame" pattern, in that the raised slubs subjected to more surface contact create the look of small "flames" of texture radiating throughout the denim.

The pure indigo shade of this denim is achieved by a unique dying process which replicates the look of pre-1920's denim, prior to the move to the more common "long chain dyeing" technique. The process results in more indigo being deposited on some yarns than others, further accentuating the yarns unique appearance. Starting from the best materials available, we transform this denim into a modern masterpiece, borrowing key design lines from traditional "buckle-back" work wear jeans and adding modern trim detailing, construction and fit to create what we call "modern vintage."

Denim Design Lab Website

Century Making Moves

In India Century Textiles will venture into Arvind's territory.

From India's Daily News & Analysis:

Century Textiles and Industries Ltd (CTIL) will launch a new denim brand in the next two months. At present, this segment is dominated by Arvind group.

The Rs 2,500-crore B K Birla group firm is foraying into denim business at a time when major denim players are re-orienting their strategies to overcome softening prices and excess of production.

Century Textiles, known for high-quality cotton yarn and fabrics, entered into the men's apparel segment in late 2004.

The denim space in the country is now ruled by brands like Lee, Wrangler, Newport and Flying Machine. Subrata Siddhanta, business head, Cottons by Century, told DNA Money: "The export denim market is little shaky but domestic market is growing at the rate of 15% year-on-year. We will launch our denim brand around April 2007 if everything goes according to plans."

The company will open brand outlets for denim in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore initially and later move to other cites. The apparel division of Century currently has 40 brand outlets. The division achieved a turnover of Rs 25 crore during 2005-06.

Analysts said that companies like Raymond, Arvind Mills, KG Denim are exploring options to boost denim sales. Foraying into denim segment and cornering some market share is big challenge for Century in the midst of existing big players.

Century Textiles was marketing menswear under two brands, Cotton by Century for pure cotton ranges and Century by Century for non-cotton ranges.

DNA India Article