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Fashion pioneer Linda Lundström introduces her new company, Linda Lundström Works (lindalundstromworks.com)
“Fall 2009 marked the last collection I was fully responsible for under the Lundström brand,” recalls Ms. Lundström. “Although I contributed to the Spring 2010 collection, and a portion of Fall 2010 that is now showing – I haven’t seen the complete collection that will be hitting the runway this season.”
With over thirty years of designing and manufacturing beautiful Canadian-made clothing, Linda has created more than 100 sought-after collections. Today, Linda offers her Fashion expertise in product development, fabric sourcing and interpreting color and fabric trends. With a strong belief that "Made In Canada" is still possible for the Apparel Industry, Lundström now offers Lean manufacturing consulting services. Clients have attended her Lean workshops from the fashion world to the nuts-and-bolts of the manufacturing sector, as well as a diverse range of industries.
Lundström will continue to teach the Apparel Manufacturing course to Fashion Management students at George Brown College. She hopes that "These bright young people will be prepared to forge the new frontier of the Canadian Fashion Industry by understanding Lean manufacturing and supporting the incredible design talent in Canada".
The recipient of more than thirty awards recognizing her entrepreneurial drive, corporate and community leadership, as well as innovative business management and communications strategies, Linda Lundström Works serves clients needing to kick-start their strategic game plans. Lundström calls upon her network of professionals to assist in the design and delivery of dynamic interactive workshops and the creation of action plans to deliver the results.
Her public speaking engagements will continue to inspire audiences with tales from fashion’s front lines and business and life lessons learned along the way. Honoraria will contribute to the work of the Kiishik Fund, established by Lundström in 1989 to create awareness and respect for First Nations culture in the communities around Red Lake, Ontario.
Ms. Lundström founded the Lundström label in 1974, and the brand gained international fame and a massive fan base of ‘Lundström Loyalists’ through her signature outerwear and her famous LAPARKA. Collaborations with Native artists elevated the LAPARKA into the realm of wearable art. A savvy business entrepreneur for more than three decades, Lundström built her profitable brand to include 3 flagship boutiques and over 400 retailers carrying her line across Canada and the United States.
What does the future hold? Ms. Lundström will focus solely on new independent ventures. “Leading a profitable company for nearly 3 decades, navigating recessions and periods of rapid growth and business set-backs – with up to 150 employees – I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge,” she explains. “After making this difficult decision to leave the Lundström brand and the community of people who helped me build the company, I look to the future and am eager to share all that I’ve learned along the way.“
About Linda: An artist, a pioneer, a fashion industry leader and a Canadian icon…Linda Lundström has many stories, which both inform and inspire. Recipient of three honorary doctorates, The Order of Ontario, and a multitude of awards ranging from entrepreneurship to business innovation – Lundström's accomplishments can also be found in the Canadian Encyclopedia.
She was born and raised in Cochenour, a remote gold mining town of 300 near Red Lake, in Northwestern Ontario. This may seem an unlikely beginning to the story of a fashion designer, who in her career has reached the pinnacle of success for her innovative approach to creating clothing for Authentic Women – with real lives, real bodies and real beauty. “I believe a woman’s size and shape have nothing to do with her value as a human being.”
Building a state-of-the-
“This factory was as much a product of my creativity as my clothing designs. It worked like a machine, an interactive sculpture and a piece of art. Fabric came in the loading docks from all over the world and talented people worked together to make it into beautiful garments for stores all over North America,” explains the woman behind the brand. “It excited me to explore ways to create styles which fully utilized the fabric, unique shapes that flowed through the production process and then graced the curves of a woman’s body. My passion as a designer was and still is, to make women feel beautiful.”
Linda is excited to see where her journey takes her in the coming months. “The time is right to seize these exciting opportunities, to give back to an industry near and dear to my heart and help the next generation overcome obstacles that can get in their way as they step up onto the world stage of the fashion industry.”
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To book media interviews with Linda, please contact: Michelle Calvert,
Lucid Communications, 647.504.0231, mcalvert@lucidcommunications.ca
To inquire about business consulting, please contact: Pako Tshiamala, Pedla Marketing Services, 647.883.4580, pako.tshiamala@
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
