Lifted Research Group Clothing Keeps Skating to the Top

Just the name alone, sets it apart as something special. Lifted Research Group more often known by the popular abbreviation LRG is an underground street wear clothing line, offering the freshest and most sought after looks in urban and street wear clothing. The line has been able to capture the attention of the youth market and do what few other clothing lines have managed to do. Keep going strong for over a decade, raking up new sales while keeping the core youth audience attentive and buying.

The clothing is not just seen on the street however. Celebrities in the hip hop and sports arena have been photographed rocking the line. So how did LRG reach such a massive audience in such a short time and become one of the fastest growing fashion companies in the industry?

The thanks go to its founders, Jonas Bevacqua and Robert Wright, the two young men met when collaborating on hip hop music. Besides being an MC, Wright was also a designer and had already worked with several other urban clothing lines including Quicksilver. Bevacqua brought in the vision for the line and the logo. In 1999, the duo put their passion for music and fashion together to raise the $200,000 startup capital needed for the company.

Starting up in Lake Forest, California in Orange County, the heart of the skateboarding world, the clothing line became an instant success. In the very first day in business, their complete inventory consisting of several different styles of hoodies, four different styles of t-shirts and several hundred pairs of pants all sold out. LRG had taken a step from designing just for surfers, or just urban wear.

Instantly they knew they were on to something special and though the company had the same initial struggles of any other start up, the rise to the top happened fairly quickly. By 2000, the company had made its first million and it took only another two years before LRG turned a profit. By 2007, LRG had grown from its initial 1 employee and small startup to pull in over $150 million and employ over 150 individuals. The company even made the hot 500 Fastest-Growing Businesses in America by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2007.

Hats, jackets, hoodies, polos, shorts, scarves, sweaters and T-shirts are sold in the menswear line. Shirts and hoodies are made from soft breathable cotton and terry cloth among other fabrics. Basics in blue, browns and reds can be found but with the brands success, LRG brought on skateboarding and hip hop designers to offer fresh flamboyant looks. Hoodies come in dozens of styles and are the brands signature look. Hoodies feature diamond prints, camo leaf prints, abstract printed images and screen print designs are popular. Jeans are fashionably baggy but with a classic fit; simple elements such as contrast stitching and embroidery on the rear pockets can be found.

What else doesn't LRG make? A young woman's clothing line followed in 2005. Named Luxirie, the brand offers the street edge but with sassy inspiration from military elements and other themes that women have quickly started buying up.

The company has also diversified outside of clothing. LRG released a limited edition skate deck, designed a limited edition cell phone and have put their stamp on a number of electronic, vehicle and sporting good items. LRG clothing is available online, so fans of the line can get the urban street wear they love delivered to them almost anywhere.