LamanBlu Summer 2013 is Inspired by Bonaire Carribean Island. Kids fashion designers are often inspired by a favorite place in the world they have visited. For Holli Gibson that special place in Bonaire, a Caribbean Island that forms a special municipality of the Netherlands. Holli has dedicated the LamanBlu Summer 2013 collection to the Caribbean Island Bonaire – “a place she loves, and a place she will return to soon, to delight in its beauty and majesty.”
When she launched her brand in 2009, Holli named it LamanBlu or “laman blou” meaning “blue sea” in Papiamentu, the national language of Bonaire and the Dutch Caribbean.
“As much as I love the mountains,” says Holli, “I am drawn to the sea, and cannot wait to return. I am as captivated as my children – the constant discovery, the amazement, and wonder, the grandeur of something so much larger than I.” The ocean is an enchanted place as are botanical gardens. Wrap them in the luxury of sustainable fabrics – from beautifully draping bamboo to organic cotton to washable linens and custom prints – all trimmed in lace and satin ribbons, and even some freshwater pearl beading. The beauty encompassed in the ocean is astounding, in all its colorful splendor. Come ashore, and you’re captured by the white of the coral bone beaches to the green of the iguanas. And let’s not forget about the multi-bright-hued tropical flowers.
LamanBlu’s color palette for the season encompasses all of the hues of blue in the ocean, ranging from the deepest shades of the Cayman Trench to the pale aqua found in the Caribbean to the pure white of the sea spray itself. It also pays homage to the sea creatures found in an astonishing array from the shocking yellow of the Kissing Grunts to the orange cup corals, from the indigo blue of the Hamlet to the red sponges and multicolor lobsters, from the soft gray of the reef shark to the constantly color-changing squid.
Holli Gibson was awarded The Rising Star Award for design by The Fashion Group International. Gibson established her career as a designer in the 90′s, designing sportswear and dresses for many high profile private clients as well as major high-end retailers, including Nordstrom’s and Victoria’s Secret. After a taking a time with family and friends, and relocating to the Rocky Mountains, Gibson has re-entered the fashion world, this time with her focus on children.