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!

Now comes the official, sanctioned LA Lights party video:

Our cameras rolled, as LA Gear Director of Specialty Product Lance Jackson hosted a VIP mixer at the Las Vegas Hilton on August 1, with the full spectrum of Lights for men and women on display.

Since we’ve been getting emails and comments from fans all over the world asking when the Lights are coming out (November or December of ’09, as of this writing), we decided to give the video an international theme, so our friends across the globe could enjoy this very special preview. We hope you like it! 

SHOP LA GEAR! 

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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!

And here’s point: My son, Aryeh, who’s 15, has been a fan of the Unstoppable line since it was relaunched and he’s been bugging me about the Lights ever since then as well. So I snagged a preview pair of the shoes and gave them to Aryeh. He took em out for a trial run on the basketball court, and shot this video of himself dunking while wearing the Lights. When my friends and I were kids, we all knew about LA Gear too – it was a fun brand, and if we could’ve made our own videos to post to YouTube, we would’ve. 20 years later, the brand is back, and having the same impact on a new generation.

The “LA Gear Jam” track playing in the background was contributed by
Head Hunters, who are fans of LA Gear and are official SLAM Feedbackers. Head Hunters is comprised of teen musicians Elvis Kuehn, Max Kuehn, and Djavan Santos, who wrote and performed the track together. Props also to Greg Kuehn at Peligro Music & Sound. It’s good to have the whole Kuehn Clan in our corner!

There’s also a sneak peek gallery that can be viewed on LaGear.com.

Best of all, we’ll be on hand to film and snap the ENTIRE LINE OF UPDATED LA LIGHTS at WSA in Las Vegas next weekend, where LA Gear and Sportie LA are throwing an invite-only sneak peek party.

So we hope to have some great stuff posted in early August!

That said, we do give big ups to Iain for passing on the pink laces; man’s gotta be a man – especially a Scottsman! Well, the bottom line is, now you all know that the Star Shooter Hi and the gold KAJ’s will go with your kilt!

Backstory: We met Kamila in Las Vegas a few months ago at WSA, where we were putting together a little preview party for the LA Gear originals relaunch. Kamila was in Vegas for (what else?) a bachelorette party. Not hers, we’re happy to report! We all hit it off and we invited her to the sneak peek mixer. She just charmed all of us! Now she’s conquering YouTube! Who knew?!? Well, we could have predicted it – she rocks!   

Subject: Kamila Kalish

Shoe: LA Gear Fire High

Sportie LA has collaborated to bring back LA Gear’s “Unstoppable” line from 1989-1990. This re-launch is the 20th Anniversary of the “Unstoppable” line. Only available at Sportie LA.

White/Black/Yellow  

We know you’ve been waiting patiently, and now, for the first time, you can get a look at the new styles from LA Gear!

 
This video was shot at WSA in Las Vegas, where LA Gear offered a select group of top indie retailers nationwide a Sneak Peek at the Fall 08 line, developed in conjunction with Sportie LA! NOW ON SALE

As ACI’s Lance Jackson said at the Sneak Peek mixer, “Any time you’re showcasing your wares for the first time, there’s a deep breath, a little anxiety. But even before the mixer, we had retailers coming up to the suite and asking if they could take the shoes home with them.” Check out this clip to find out what all the excitement was about.

(Video courtesy of SLAM)