LINEN has made a big comeback in the fashion world.
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Two women who have taken note are Lauren Steel and Brigita Millard who together have created Newcastle fashion brand, Lita.
Launched in December, the pair designed the range of linen womenswear as a collection of staple items that are not only comfortable, but versatile and timeless.
"Essentially we pretty much hated thinking about what to wear when getting dressed every morning, so we wanted to take the guesswork out of that," Steel says.
"We wanted a capsule collection of items that were good quality, comfortable, looked great and easy to care for that were versatile enough to wear anytime of the day, whether you're going out for dinner, going to work, picking the kids up from school, whatever it might be."
The debut collection features a robe, singlet top, shorts, pants and slip dress available in white, natural and blush.
They plan to extend the collection with styles adaptable for the cooler months, with the focus remaining on producing timeless pieces.
"We wanted to create items that would never go out of style," Steel says. "We want to encourage people to buy well and wear well. I think people are a little bit more conscious of that at the moment, rather than buying things that they are only going to wear once or twice.
"We wanted it to be pieces that people could enjoy forever."
The label is an extension of Steel and Millard's homewares and fashion store, House of Lita.
Located in Wickham, the space stocks the Lita range as well as a curated collection of homewares, furniture, jewellery, books, cards, gifts and clothing sourced locally and globally. Think Moroccan rugs, linen bedding and elegant, minimalist furniture.
The origins of Lita and House of Lita began as a conversation between the two friends who discovered they were both keen to open their own homewares store. Two weeks after that initial discussion, Steel and Millard found a site for their retail space and House of Lita was born.
"It went from an idea to 100 in the space of two weeks," Steel says.
Lita is the next chapter.
Steel says linen was the standout choice for the label given its popularity and versatility.
"When we opened House of Lita we knew we eventually wanted to have our own product in store," Steel says. "We found that linen items were performing well in the store, so we knew people loved it.
"It's really easy to care for, so you can throw it in the washing machine, hang it on the line and it washes up really nicely. It lends itself to the things we wanted: we wanted it to be comfortable, we wanted it to be stylish."
A second collection is scheduled to drop in the lead up to the cooler months.
Steel, whose background is in publishing, and Millard, who worked as flight attendant, have both adopted a hands-on role.
"We knew exactly what we wanted, so we designed the items ourselves and had those sampled up," Steel says. "Brigita has a children's wear label which we stock at House of Lita, so we used her existing manufacturer and combined our efforts in that sense to create Lita."
A kids range - and more - could be on the cards, too.
"It's something we could potentially do. Who knows? It could become a full lifestyle collection because linen can be used in all types whether its kitchen wear, kids wear or accessories such as bags.
"We have had a few requests from men for a range too, so perhaps in the future we will."
In keeping with the homegrown origins of the label, Newcastle model Ruby Compton featured in Lita's first campaign shoot (filmed near King Edward Park).
In addition to their own brand, House of Lita stocks Millard's children's wear label, Little Indahs, which the mother-of-two launched five years ago. Other local makers stocked include artist Kiasmin, ceramicist Brigitte Beyer (BRB Ceramics), and Newcastle-born Bryce Williams who owns furniture design company, Huski Studios.
House of Lita operates online as well, but Steel says the in-store experience provides something special.
"The store is very much a curated selection of brands and items," Steel says. "For people that aren't a big fan of big shopping malls and want that boutique experience with items that mostly aren't available anywhere else around Newcastle, I think that's where we sit in the retail market."
- House of Lita, 24 Greenway Street, Wickham, Tuesday to Friday 9am-3pm, Saturday 9am-12pm.