Ok, truth be told, the fact that the ladies got together on The Ellen Degeneres Show might not ordinarily make news on this blog. But there’s a third icon that factors in, and that’s LA Gear.

In the late 80s, Jennifer Love Hewitt appeared in a now-classic Christmas spot for LA Gear. It was a cute and corny commercial, and in it she wore the famed Flame High, which has made a triumphant return under the LA Gear Originals line.

We thought we’d share the commercial with you…it’s a little early for the holidays, but it’s never too soon to rock LA Gear!

LaGearNews sat down with L’leta to find out more about her art and her love affair with LA Gear:

LaGearNews: When did you decide you wanted to be a fashion designer?

L’leta van Gom: I think I was 11 or 12 when I knew that I wanted to make clothes. I really don’t know why I was obsessed by clothes, I just knew I wanted to learn how to make something. So I started to make clothes for my barbies and dolls.

At the age of 16 I enrolled in the Modelyceum in Amsterdam for four years, also Fashion Design, and there I learned the basics of fashion design.

LAG: Tell us about the program you just completed.

L’leta: I just got my diploma in Fashion Design from the Academie of Styling and Design Artemis. In 2 years I learned how to work towards realizing a collection, starting with a concept, sketches and finally the collection. You also learn how to make contact with different people in fashion, that is one of the best things you can learn. With this diploma I can start designing for a company or learn more and start working for designers.

LAG:. How long was the program?

L’leta: I did this in 2 years part-time, because I was also working 5 days a week for more experience in fashion.

LAG: What inspired you to include LA Gear in your show?

L’leta: A friend of mine gave me some original old school L.A. Gears and I fell in love with them immediately. They reminded me of the sneakers I had when I was a little girl. And when I started my final year I knew I did not want my models to wear high heels, I wanted L.A. Gears! My collection was inspired by the 80′s, for summer 2010, and when I saw the new collection I decided to contact the company, because you never know who is wiling to help you out, and L.A. Gear did. I’m still grateful.

LAG: Can you describe the graduation thesis show event?

L’leta: The the title of my concept was “Growing Up”. I did some research and I found out that women get shaped between their twenties and thirties, these years make you who you are as a person. But why does society decide that you are an “adult” when you are 21?  Grown Ups Are Obsolete was the catchphrase in my conceptbook, because who says that you have to grow up anyway?

LAG: Was the reaction to your designs all you’d hoped for?

L’leta: Yes, people really liked my collection, because it really stood out from the rest. I  used a lot of jersey fabrics, and every design stood for a different part of life . My goal is to get people to wonder how I put something together, and it worked. I also got an offer to design a t-shirt.

LAG: Now what?

L’leta: I’m going on a vacation for 3 weeks! Finally no homework! haha. But I really would like to start my own label, that is one of my biggest dreams. But in these times it will be difficult to find a sponsor. So I am going to get my drivers license and start a course photography. I want to keep learning.

Designer: L’leta van Gom/ SugaRush
Styling: L’leta van Gom
Cameraperson: Robbert Jollie
Director: L’leta van Gom/Robbert Jollie
Editor: Robbert Jollie
Music: Hot Chip & Jessy Rose – “Don’t forget my name”
Models: Zulema van Gom, Lindsay Adams, Roswitha, Amy Shisano & Anna Bonkowska

SHOP HERE for the Flame High!

“Shortly after I embarked on the sound designer phase of my career, I received a call to work on an LA Gear advert for a Michael Jackson shoe.

This job, it turned out, was going to be a little out of the ordinary! Instead of people coming to me, I was required to appear at a film mixing sound stage in the valley, Todd-AO, as I recall. I hefted my hundred pound Fairlight computer and various other gadgets into the car and headed over for a brisk nine am start. This was back in the day of video tape. At that point, film sound stages were still very much film-based, so deploying a 3/4 video deck caused quite a kafuffle, let alone a sound computer. Doughnuts were dropping everywhere. An hour or so later, with video and smpte time code flowing freely, I was ready to roll, waiting nervously for Michael Jackson. I had spent many hours in the studio with Michael in a previous incarnation of myself, as a sound programmer, working on the “Bad” album. So I had a general idea of what to expect.

Soon enough, a slender, quiet, but massively charismatic presence entered the room, uttering quiet but cheerful hellos. A little time was spent chatting with Sandy, the owner of LA Gear, who was there to observe proceedings. We began work by viewing the cut, spotting, identifying what sort of sounds would go where. Since the spot featured a solo Michael dancing in a lamp lit deserted alley, I was going to have little use for my library of sounds. I knew that Michael would like to act out the sounds himself, and sure enough, ever the performer, he was delighted when I told him of my plan. The stage wasn’t a foley stage, it was purely a mix room, so there was not much there, other than the sofas, a giant console, some floor space and the screen!

We improvised a lot. For Michael’s foot sounds, we ran a long mic cable out of the back of the
studio lounge and into the parking lot, where he performed a variety of spins, jumps, skids, and stomps. Following that, we came back in the studio and set up the mic in front of the screen. While playing the film, Michael replicated the moves and I captured the sound of his clothing, his breaths, body hits and various shouts. When we had finished with that I began to sort through the sounds we had so far and create a track to match action. This he enjoyed immensely, and as I worked, Michael chatted away, swapping anecdotes and generally being the playful joking person that he was. Very polite and always respectful, he was fun to be with. Having established the Michael portion of the track, I then added in the additional sounds to complete the track.

We were approaching the end of the afternoon, as we moved from a building phase to the mixing phase, adjusting the relative volume of the sounds until, a few hours later we had a finished piece. I was tired, but it was fun. Although Michael was perfectly pleasant, I was still creating – on the spot – an entire soundtrack from scratch with one of the most enigmatic and notorious people on the planet. No pressure!! It was with great satisfaction that I loaded the computer back in the car and headed home.”

To view the LA Gear “Street” commercial, click here.

Today, thousands of people at Staples Center here in Los Angeles – and millions more across the globe – celebrate the life and work of Michael Jackson.

We call ourselves fans, but really that’s an understatement and a misnomer. We stood in awe of his talent and originality, and we stand there still, reeling from the sudden loss of this icon.

Here at LaGearNews.com, we have been reminded over the past days of Michael’s impact on pop culture and fashion, specifically via his relationships with Pepsi and LA Gear.

Countless emails and comments have come in about the famed LA Gear “MJ” sneakers he inspired, and an equal number of calls for a revival of the product. At its core, the groundswell represents an outpouring of affection for Michael and an acknowledgment of his influence beyond his music.

This movement began even prior to his passing. Since the release of the updated Unstoppable line by current brand-owner ACI last December, there has been a lot of dialogue among fans old and new, about bringing back the “MJ” collection.

Like so many of you, we’d love to see the sneakers come back so we can be part of a new chapter in the unique relationship Michael had with those who loved him. While we can’t confirm any details at the moment, we have shared many of the comments we’ve received with ACI and Sportie LA, and we know that they’ve taken the fans’ sentiments to heart. They have expressed an interest in reaching out to one of the many charities with whom Michael worked so closely and possibly collaborating with them in some way.

Please stay tuned to www.LaGearNews.com for more, and please continue to share your thoughts with us.
 
Best wishes,
LaGearNews.com

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http://www.wemovevintageblog.com/2009/06/la-gear-tribute.html