Ashley Paige Goes Wild
On the heels of debuting a line of high-end dresses for Spring 2007, Los Angeles–based swimwear designer Ashley Paige announced she has signed on to produce a line of Girls Gone Wild–branded swimwear. Known for producing racy videos, the Santa Monica, Calif.–based, selfdescribed “reality entertainment” company is making a push into apparel. The brand has opened a showroom in the California Market Center stocked with branded apparel.
Paige, who normally works in crochet knits, will produce 50 to 60 Lycra-blend bikinis as part of a oneyear licensing deal with the video maker. She brushes aside any stigma associated with the brand, which has been derided for its portrayal of women, saying her line of swimwear will be “cute and fresh, not skimpy or overly sexy” and that it won’t be heavily branded with logos. “The brand definitely has a stigma to it, but my bikinis won’t be feeding into that image,” she said. “Maybe there will be a little tag that says ’wild,’ but that’s about it.”
The line of Girls Gone Wild suits will be targeted at department stores and will retail from $80 to $120. The suits will be produced in Brazil and are scheduled to debut at the Miami Swim Show in July. Some buyers will get a sneak peek in February during a soft launch at the MAGIC Marketplace in Las Vegas, where the brand will be an exhibitor. —Erin Barajas
