William Rast Refocuses on Contemporary American-Made Denim With New Design and Sales Team

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- William Rast, the "New America" denim culture brand, founded by Justin Timberlake in 2005, has refocused its efforts on the contemporary American-made denim category the brand originally became known for at its inception.  The company will launch the updated and expanded collection at ENK Vegas, February 14th – 16th.  The denim offering will include newly developed fabrics, innovative and on-trend washes and new fits, all accompanied by fresh, modern branding and packaging.  The company has brought on board a team of denim and sportswear experts in design, merchandising and sales.

"We see a huge growth opportunity in denim for 2011 and beyond," said Colin Dyne, Chief Executive Officer of People's Liberation, the parent holding company of William Rast.  "After seeing a slow year for denim in 2010, we think the consumer, who has filled their closets with alternatives such as leggings, jeggings, chinos and cargos, is ready to come back to denim.  We have invested significantly in denim development to come up with the best fits, and have taken all steps necessary to make sure we have the softest, most comfortable and sophisticated fabrics and washes in the market for Fall 2011."

Newly appointed President of Wholesale, Rick Spielberg, will be leading the team of denim experts, as well as the new sales team, each of who has extensive domestic and international experience.  "We have perfected the fit on each of our denim styles and are using only premium fabrics from our mills in Italy, Japan and the US, resulting in a product with a softer, more natural feel," says Rick Spielberg.  "We have been working extremely hard with our Los Angeles factories to create a truly contemporary American-made denim that offers unbeatable value to the premium denim consumer."

Overseeing the creative direction for non-denim, sportswear apparel, is industry veteran Gregg Fiene, founder and previous owner of XOXO.  In this role, his initial focus will be on building complete collections for both retail and wholesale to support the denim category.  "I am excited to come in and support the growth for such an amazing brand.  The ambition is to develop a full sportswear collection for the retail stores and offer that for wholesale for next season."

Adding to its recently launched eyewear partnership, the brand will continue to expand into other licensed categories, and is actively in discussions regarding footwear, watches and leather goods.  The brand will also further pursue the roll out of additional freestanding William Rast retail stores.

"This is such an exciting time for the brand.  We just successfully concluded our limited edition, five-week designer collaboration with Target, where we designed specific product unique to that channel, and we are being honored as Brand of the Year in April at the AAFA American Image Awards", says Colin Dyne.  "It is a great kick-off to the new year to have this kind of exposure as a platform to leverage the company's investment in the design and sales team, and to launch our newly developed, exclusive premium denim collection."

ABOUT WILLIAM RAST

William Rast, the 'New America' denim culture brand, was conceptualized and founded by Justin Timberlake in 2005.  The company is operated through subsidiaries of People's Liberation, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PPLB), under management of CEO, Colin Dyne. Originally comprised of only denim, the brand has expanded into a complete lifestyle collection, including leathers, outerwear, wovens and knits; known for delivering quality, fashion forward design, and premium fit.  Grounded in the iconography of American denim heritage and biker culture, yet re-packaged and presented in a contemporary context, William Rast has found its place on the floors of top-tier department stores and boutiques across the globe, and has become a staple for denim fans worldwide.  The company operates William Rast retail stores at Century City Mall in Los Angeles, Aventura Mall in Miami, Valley Fair Mall in San Jose and Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Palm Springs; as well as its webshop at www.williamrast.com.

ABOUT PEOPLE'S LIBERATION, INC.

Los Angeles-based People's Liberation Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PPLB),  designs and distributes high-end casual apparel under the brand names "People's Liberation" "William Rast" and, in the United States, "J.Lindeberg."  The majority of the merchandise the Company offers consists of premium denim, knits, wovens, leather goods, golf wear and outerwear for men and women.  In the United States, William Rast and J.Lindeberg branded products are distributed to boutiques, specialty stores and better department stores, such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.  The Company also markets and sells J.Lindeberg branded collection and golf apparel through its retail stores in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, and J.Lindeberg golf wear to green grass golf stores and boutiques in the United States.  Internationally, in select countries, William Rast products are sold to better department stores and boutiques throughout the world, and in it's own free standing William Rast retail stores.  The Company also sells merchandise on its websites, www.williamrast.com and the America section of www.jlindebergusa.com.

SOURCE William Rast