Ross Launches Lifestyle
Los Angeles retailer Tracey Ross has entered a licensing partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to produce a high-end line of T-shirts featuring Looney Tunes screen prints.
Ross, whose eponymous high-end boutique in Los Angeles’ Sunset Plaza has been among the West Coast’s leading contemporary shops for more than a decade, is one of several retailers capitalizing on the emergence of classic cartoon characters on high-end apparel. Hand-painted and jewel-encrusted cartoon figures on jeans and denim jackets are part of that burgeoning trend. Last year, Fred Segal Fun owner Jackie Brander entered an exclusive licensing agreement with The Walt Disney Co. to produce a line of apparel featuring Tinker Bell and Donald Duck.
“Los Angeles is T-shirt capital,” said Ross, who added that the line has already developed a loyal customer base since its debut last month. “Young girls are really attracted to the line even if they haven’t grown up with those characters. People are always on the hunt for that perfect novelty T-shirt with great fabrics and prints. If you’re looking for a quick fix, buy yourself a T-shirt. You’re not spending a fortune. It’s been the perfect summer item.”
With retail price points starting at $40, silhouettes include T-shirts, a sleeveless tank with cropped sides and a scoop-neck tunic that can be worn as a shirt or dress. The line is garment-dyed and then personalized with novelty distress treatments, such as frayed and raw edges, for a vintage feel.
The T-shirt collection features a Bugs Bunny print with text that reads “Like Rabbits,” a design showing Daffy Duck impersonating Bugs Bunny next to the word “Playbunny,” and a Sylvester the Cat look that says “Bad Putty.”
The hip and edgy line will be sold exclusively at Ross’ boutique alongside designer and contemporary collections Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, True Religion and Juicy Couture. The line will be designed by Ross and produced by Los Angeles T-shirt manufacturer Junk Food.
“These are characters we’ve all grown up with, and it’s a real treat, both from an entertainment and fashion perspective, to be able to carry these characters in my store,” Ross said. “We captured their irreverence, applied it to great product styles and created a truly fun and fashionable statement.”
Manufacturing womenswear is a relatively new venture for Ross, who said she gets her inspiration from her father, a retired apparel manufacturer. Earlier this year, she launched a line of women’s footwear, handbags and leather belts with her brother, Michael Ross. She is currently designing an item-driven collection of leather sportswear that will retail from $250 to $1,500. The collection will include sporty zip-front jackets, leather pants and sleeveless tops. She plans to roll out a complete lifestyle collection under the Tracey Ross label by early Spring 2005.
The Tracey Ross boutique is located at 8595 Sunset Blvd. For more information, call (310) 854-1996.
—Claudia Figueroa
