On the heels of opening its first ever brick and mortar store, LuluSimonStudio just released a new collection in collaboration with country singer and actor Jana Kramer.
You might have seen the bold, witty brand worn by the likes of Eva Longoria, Jenna Dewan, Julianne Hough, Hilary Duff, Lucy Hale, Molly Sims, Nina Dobrev and Vanessa Hudgens. LuluSimonStudio was first launched in 2013 by founder and CEO Lindsay Johnson with the mission to make its buyers laugh from its sassy sayings and inspire girl power.
The 100 percent female-owned and operated business is based in the Bay Area and has its store in Walnut Creek, just east of San Francisco.
Kramer’s collection ultimately began because she, like the brand’s long list of celebrity clientele, was a fan. She’s been wearing LuluSimonStudio for years.
“I had some friends send me some of their shirts and I just loved their fit and I loved their style and I loved the cut-up-ness of them,” Kramer said. “My style is very chill, but I also like to have fun with it and I feel like their shirts are the perfect combination of fun, but also cute.”
Kramer recalled being drawn in by the t-shirts’ signature cheeky statements, such as “I literally can’t.” For about two years, she showed her love for the brand by tagging LuLuSimonStudio in Instagram posts. Eventually, the company reached out and Kramer went from buyer to designer. The creative process came naturally.
“It was super easy. I was like, ‘Here are the words I want, here are the colors,’” Kramer explained. “I’m super hand on with stuff that I do, and I just wanted to be as hands on as possible.”
Most of Kramer’s designs lay on a gray base with a number of tasteful tears for some edge. The t-shirts declare the wearer as a “Badass Mama” or proclaim “Better Off” and “Just Bring the Wine.” Reflecting one message of rejuvenation, the “Dare to Begin” tee comes in white. Adding some vibrance, the muted yellow “Girls Weekend” tee features a pair of cheetahs.
“I just wanted to do a story… It was just a story of where my life is right now,” Kramer said.
“I think it's just cool that these are the messages that we want to wear and that they're excited about it. I teased a few shirts [on social media] and they all seem to be really excited about it for their own reasons. And I think that's just a really cool thing to be able to share with other people,” she added.
Aside from making strides in fashion, Kramer has also been working on music. She has a new song coming out later this month called “Voices,” which will kick off a number of releases she has planned for the next year. The country singer described the upcoming single as an uplifting ballad about not listening to the voices in your head.
“I’ve got a few other songs I’m releasing in the next 15 months, but I’m excited, just again, the journey of where I’m at in my life and just being authentic to who I am and sharing the story of where I am at.”
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Photography by: Amalia Karaman; LULUSIMONSTUDIO
