L-R-G TO ENTER WOMEN'S URBAN MARKET WITH LUXIRIE.(Lifted Research Group Inc. launches women's line for spring called Luxirie )

Byline: Khanh T.L. Tran

LOS ANGELES -- L-R-G, the men's label spanning the skateboard and hip-hop markets, is starting a women's line for spring called Luxirie that it hopes to position between urban brand Baby Phat and designer label Marc Jacobs.

"We are bringing some high-fashion styling and fabrications into the Baby Phat market," said Robert Wright, who cofounded Luxirie's parent company, Lifted Research Group Inc., in 1999 with Jonas Bevaqua. "Offering a luxury type of product [for example, $550 jeans at retail coated with Swarovski crystals on the back pockets, waistband and belt loops] in the women's urban market is what is going to allow Luxirie to stand out from the competition."

Lifted Research is getting into the women's business as urbanwear is becoming more sophisticated, with female shoppers demanding more fashion items such as gauchos, capris and shrugs, said Lou Ann Bett, division president for D.e.m.o., the urbanwear chain owned by Pacific Sunwear of California Inc.

"The overall aesthetic of urbanwear is changing," she said.

Wright wants to wait before selling Luxirie to D.e.m.o., saying his initial focus is on specialty stores and boutiques. The company took orders from Macy's West because the department store was one of the first major retailers to support L-R-G, he said.

Derived from the word "luxe" and the Jamaican slang "irie," which means "excellence," Luxirie covers six themes, ranging from military to Western. It also incorporates details such as cursive embroidery on the back pockets of low-waisted overalls and a white linen jacket with chocolate brown leather trim on the collar, pockets and elbows. Wholesale prices run from $22 to $42 for tops, $44 to $70 for bottoms (excluding the crystal-covered jeans that wholesale for $250), $30 to $40 for skirts and $42 to $60 for jackets.