Lija
Athletic apparel is some of the most comfortable clothing you can wear, yet, it is also some of the most unfashionable clothing you can wear. At some point long, long ago, style and function were decreed incompatible. Somehow, the world has gone on without questioning this for centuries – why do you think the first Olympians raced naked? You just couldn’t wear your running toga in the agora or you’d be laughed at. It was better to run around naked, and then slip on your market-wear when you went into town.
Things didn’t get better over the centuries, especially not for women. You only have to look at a few photos from the birth of the WPGA, and you’ll agree. A man’s argyle sweater-vest thrown in for six hot rinse cycles and a pair of balloon pants isn’t really what you’d call haute couture. Try just thinking back as far as high school, remember girls who played sports? Pretty or not, they weren’t allowed to look good. It was always men’s XL T-shirts and sweatpants with varsity soccer or volleyball plastered across the bum. This is just the way things have always been. Believe it or not, though, fashion and athletics are not as mutually exclusive as we’ve been led to believe.
Enter circa 1997, a brave woman named Linda Hipp decided to take a gamble on the idea that it just might be possible to make an outfit that a woman could wear both on the golf course and in public. And not just wear it, but look good too. Hipp formed a clothing line, now known as Lija, that took its inspiration from fashion, and its functionality from athletics. Unsurprisingly, the universe didn’t implode, and the idea was very well received. Thousands of women began showing up to lunch after a round of golf wearing the same thing, and looking good. Across golf courses, tennis courts, and high streets, jubilant cries could be heard echoing in unison: “We’re all in the bunker, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
Hipp’s gamble paid off and Lija is now a well recognized brand that offers a number of different fashionable athletic clothing lines. The brand is growing fast, so in order to accommodate and enable this growth, Lija commissioned Cowie and Fox to develop a web site and internet presence that would not only look beautiful, but also, would be a fully functioning E-Commerce site. It’s clean design and bold images hide the intricate machine that pumps out real time payment and complete inventory integration. It’s basically pretty awesome. Don’t believe us, you heartless skeptics? Listen to what Lija has to say and check out the site for yourself!
“I just wanted to say how much we all appreciate the creative and other work that you have done on our new e-Comm site. [...] Thank you again for pushing us in a more progressive direction on site design, and working so diligently on functionality. I know it has been a lot of work, and probably more than you or I anticipated going in, but it looks great and we are getting a lot of fantastic feedback. [...] I’m super pleased with where we are on it. Thanks again!”
Christine Jakovcic :: Director, Brand Management & Revenue Strategy
Your new wardrobe in only a click away ››
Tags: clothing, cowie and fox, Design, E-Commerce, fashion, lija, website