Car Company Scion Launches Clothing
Scion has made the leap from cars to clothing after the car company’s employees began asking for something more stylish to wear than the typical corporate-logo tee.
Scion cars, the hipster division of Toyota, launched in 2003 with an eye on a younger demographic than Toyota or its luxury Lexus division.
The company has hired two veteran designers from the streetwear and urban markets in Los Angeles and New York to help launch the menswear collection, which will be worn by Scion employees as well as be sold on the car company’s Web site.
Jupiter Desphy’s background is in the skate and car club scenes in Las Vegas. He had designed for California streetwear brands Fresh Jive and Stussy. In addition to the Scion line, he also is a designer and production manager for Union L.A. and Undefeated.
Blue Davis got his start in the industry as a designer and graphic artist for New York–based Headhunters clothing, which produced custom apparel for hip-hop artists such as Notorious B.I.G. and Mobb Deep. He also launched two urban apparel collections, Live Mechanics and Lyrics.
Scion conducted a nationwide search for designers, who were asked to pitch their ideas for the Scion line. All applicants were given the option of using the car company’s logo or not and, as it turns out, both Desphy and Davis opted against the logo.
The launch collection will come in two versions, according to Scion Sales Promotion Manager Jeri Yoshizu, based in the company’s U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif.
“We decided we needed a functional version for the salespeople,” she said. “Then we take [each] piece and flip it and modify it with graphics and embroidery for the truer streetwear version. So, we’ve pulled off a classic line with a little bit of edge but it’s also got a personality. Somebody who may not be edgy can pull it off.”
The collection includes short-sleeve and long-sleeve polos, French terry hoodies, crewnecks and Vnecks, golf pants and jackets, and two tracksuits. The look of the line is very clean and classic and structured,” said Yoshizu, who said the collection is being produced in China in a factory that also produces apparel for Lacoste.
Retail prices will be in line with upscale brands like Lacoste, as well, with short-sleeve polos priced at $65 and French terry pieces priced at $85. The company will warehouse its inventory in Los Angeles.
Scion opted to launch with just menswear because the customer base for Scion cars is 70 percent male, according to Yoshizu.
The line officially launches April 6, but Scion tests out the “classic-with-an-edge” collection March 20, when it hosts a fashion show during the March 19–21 Scion Release Invitation golf tournament at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa and the Tournament Players Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The charity golf tournament benefits the Boys & Girls Club of America and is co-hosted by Malbon Brothers Farms, IMG and Beyond Marketing. Among the celebrities expected to attend are RZA, Gabrielle Union, Mike Jones, Hill Harper, Naima Mora, Sleepy Brown, Mobb Deep, Zoe Saldana, Nick Cannon, G-Unit and 50 Cent. “Entourage” actor Jeremy Piven will host the event. —Alison A. Nieder
