LATITUDE 10
Latitude 10 Finds ‘In Between’ Niche
There is a time in a woman’s life where she wants to wear juniors styles and trends but she is looking for silhouettes and clothes that an adult woman would wear, said Leslie Gardner, a career designer.
She serves as creative director for Latitude 10, a recently launched Los Angeles–based brand that plans to serve that in-between niche.
The new brand’s tops and dresses offer details such as tassels along with a style that Gardner described as a “trendy, free-spirited, California look.” It offers on-trend style touches such as off-shoulder tops but with more fabric covering the body. The brand intends to keep prices relatively low. Wholesale price points currently range from $8 to $19, said Rick Murray, the brand’s founder and chief executive officer. Murray and Gardner met when they both worked at Los Angeles–headquartered fashion company One World Apparel. Latitude 10 is named after an area in Central America on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It’s a favorite for surfers such as Murray.
The brand’s offices are located in the neighborhood of juniors brand Stony Apparel Corp. Dominating the skyline in their neighborhood is the landmark Sears art-deco building in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood.
Latitude 10 made its official debut during the June fashion markets in New York City. The debut collection offers 120 pieces. Many items in the collection use prints made by Francis Spitta, who has spent a career designing prints and also teaches at the Otis College of Art and Design.
Spitta’s prints appear in tops and dresses in colorways Gardner described as “desert pastels” and “Palm Beach brights.”
Other pieces use knits and woven fabrics. Sublimation prints, crochets and embroideries will appear in the line later this year, Gardner said. Comfort is an important consideration for Gardner. She intends to make clothes in which women can look svelte, breathe easy but still be trend-right. If it sounds like a balancing act, Gardner guarantees that all of the competing considerations can find a happy harmony. “We keep the lines contemporary, but we make styles that feel like what is going on now,” she said. “Every time I design a dress, I’m shopping for that piece.”
Fabrics are sourced from India and China. The line is manufactured overseas. For more information, email debra@latitude10.net.
Photos courtesy of Latitude 10
