Only 'Tween Clothing Company in U.S. Moves to Fort Collins

Feb. 3, 2010 - PRLog -- For More Information:

Heidi Olinger, 720-203-1749
heidi@prettybrainy.com

Catherine Lundy, 906-282-6232
catherinemlundy@hotmail.com
catherine@prettybrainy.com



Creativity and Innovation Love Company:

’Tween Clothing Company Pretty Brainy Moves to Fort Collins

City’s Numerous Accolades Spur Relocation of ’Tween Fashion Line


Fort Collins, Colorado — (February 3, 2010) — ’Tween clothing company Pretty Brainy has made the move. The relocation plants Pretty Brainy in Fort Collins, Colorado, about an hour north of Denver. Known for its progressive thinking and innovation, the city is fast growing—both in population and business.

“The people of Fort Collins represent a very tuned-in community, on the cutting edge of innovative products,” notes Ann Clarke, founder and CEO of Colorado Women of Influence. “They are always looking for something new and different.” Pretty Brainy’s fashion-forward clothing line fits this bill.

Pretty Brainy preteen clothing products, designed by founder and CEO Heidi Olinger, are aimed at ’tween girls, or those ages 7 to 14. The design, featuring biographies of pioneering women, intricate embellishments, and at-a-glance math, empowers girls to believe in themselves and their dreams in their preteen years. This is an age, especially 11 through 14, when girls in general lose the exuberance and self-confidence they possess earlier in life.

“[Heidi Olinger] is a woman who understands how to connect with that age group,” says Clarke. This is the age when “girls start having challenges,” and wonder “do I really want to show that I’m smart?” Pretty Brainy’s answer to that question is an emphatic “YES.”

As the only designer in the United States to take its inspiration from and design specifically for smart ’tween girls, Pretty Brainy fills a niche in the $40 billion-a-year ’tween market. The move to Fort Collins gives the company a home base recognized for its progressive approach to business and life. Fort Collins area schools promote and embody some of the same principles that make Pretty Brainy tick, as evidenced by their annual increase in already high graduation rates and a decrease in their number of dropouts. Fort Collins’s Poudre School District is well above the state average in both categories.  In 2008, PSD had an 81.2 percent graduation rate, compared to the state average of 73.9 percent.  Their dropout rate was 2.6 percent, while the state average was 3.8 percent (Poudre School District Pride & Profile, 2008-2009).

The relocation gives northern Colorado easy access to Olinger’s age-appropriate ’tween fashion line that, according to Clarke, is a welcome addition to the diverse companies that have earned Fort Collins numerous accolades over the years.

Money Magazine named Fort Collins the Best Place to Live in 2006, and in 2007, Forbes Magazine called the city “One of the Best Places for Business and Careers.”  

More recently, the National Resources Defense Council called Fort Collins the 3rd “Smarter City” for sustainability, and Next Generation Consulting named Fort Collins the “Best Place to Live and Work for Young Professionals.” With a long list of other honors, Fort Collins hardly had to argue a case for its ability to grow a business as unique as Pretty Brainy.

“I hope she makes a whole product line for [women] as well,” implores Clarke, noting the obvious connection between Olinger’s line and business-minded women: “They’re both pretty and brainy!”
   
Pretty Brainy clothing is currently available online at www.prettybrainy.com and in two retail locations, Total Elegance Boutique in Casper, WY, and Lyon Drug in Steamboat Springs, CO.

For more information, telephone 720-203-1749.

# # #

Pretty Brainy, incorporated in October 2008, designs apparel and accessories expressly for girls 7 to 14 years old, or tweens. Our mission is to elevate the perception and expectations of what girls are capable of in the world. Our medium: tween fashion.