Seems as though the word about JUZD is getting out!  With success in Holt Renfrew, GotStyle and Green is Black more and more people are quick to grab the one-of-a-kind JUZD t-shirt.  The fashion world is seeking new, innovative and eco-friendly designs and being the planet’s first bamboo designer label, it’s hard to avoid getting JUZD…

Take a look below to see how JUZD was featured in MSN.ca’s Green article section. The article featured JUZD as one of today’s top Canadian green designers.

Original Article http://green.sympatico.msn.ca/article.aspx?cp-documentid=672500

Written by Liz Metcalfe

Hot looks, Cool for the planet

JUZD (short for Juiced) was the first bamboo designer label. Said to be inspired by the legend of 1898, when the African Mountain Gorillas were discovered, each shirt in the JUZD collection has an exclusive design and is made from organic bamboo fabric. All JUZD T-shirts, such as the ones above, retail for $100 at Holt Renfrew stores across Canada. You can also buy their shirts directly from their website at www.juzd.com.

Originally written by Zack Medicoff , The Wyre

Liu, who was born in China and raised in Toronto, is earning a reputation in Canada’s fashion industry for his collaborative creative process. “I have designers all around the world, from Singapore to South America to Europe, who help develop one shirt,” says the baby-faced Liu, whose background is in computer programming. “I have five factories in China to create the shirt, bag, even the box.”

Original article written by Tanya Enberg, 24 hours

Fashion bits…

So you’ve been holding onto your favourite bra for years even thought it’s fraying at the edges.  Time to find a new support system, don’t you think?

Give your undergarments a pretty boost with luxury labels like Betsey Johnson, Vera Wang, Carole Hochman, Spanx and Prima Donna, and get up to 70% off at Linea Intima (1925 Avenue Rd.) to help clear out some space before the flagship Toronto shop undergoes renos!

The pre-reno sale on bras, panties, hosiery, robes and swim and sleep wear runs from Aug. 5 to 20.

Almost Naked

Pull your pants back up.  On second thought, you may want to pull ‘em down.

Featuring walls full of fantastic skivvies, Queen St. W. addition, Almost Naked (479 Queen St. W.), is bringing colourful focus to what lies beneath.

With collections from Diesel, Calvin Klein, Shultz, Ed Hardy and the oh-so provocative Netherlands label, Marlies Dekkers, you could soon find your under-layers turning into quite the conversation pieces.

For more info visit almost-naked.ca

Bamboo first

Holt Renfrew keeps sharpening its edge.

The retail chain, which gives great play to Canuck clothing labels, has gone one step further by bringing on a largely unknown Toronto designer. 

His name is Jing Liu and if you’ve never hear of him or his JUZD (pronounced joost) Bamboo streetwear collection, don’t’ be surprised.  After all, he has never been trained in fashion design or cut his teeth at a design firm.

That, however, hasn’t stopped Holts from taking the unusual step of bringing the newbie designer’s graphic-laden garb-the world’s first designer bamboo label-to its high-end department stores.

The collection was delivered to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver earlier this month.  Check out Liu’s work at: juzdbamboo.com

Original post: http://www.thenewagenda.com/article/bamboo.html

 The New Agenda: the lifestyle magazine for the socially conscious

 Eco-Chic Has Gone From Hippie to HOT-Damn!

Before American Apparel undoubtedly corners this market, too, be the first on your block to go bamboo. The key to its sustainable applications is its astronomical growth rate. More garden weed than tree, bamboo can grow up to 18 inches a day, reaching a harvestable size within three to five years. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s up to 20 times faster than hard wood trees, which average anywhere between 50 to 100 years to cultivate. Best of all, bamboo absorbs nearly five times more greenhouse gases and produces 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees, according to some measurements. Did I mention it’s also naturally antibacterial?

But before you start recounting the itchy advent of Woody Harrelson-endorsed hemp, heed this mantra: A green aesthetic doesn’t have to mean ascetic. If its texture is comparable to anything on the market, it’s silk – a fact that is not lost on its wide range of purveyors. From bedsheets to bathrobes, camisoles to yoga clothes, bamboo fabric is steadily approaching mainstream acceptance. Take a closer look at some of your favorite retailers’ catalogs. This surprisingly soft fabric-alternative, which is actually a type of grass, not wood, is changing the way several companies think green. Though they may not feature these items on the front page of the catalog, many established stores are tinkering with the prospect of bamboo chic. Among these tentative giants: Urban Outfitters, Banana Republic, and Adidas. Even New York mainstay Anthropologie offers a smattering of bamboo products.

Yet despite select retailers’ enthusiasm, bamboo has thus far been ignored by most markets. So what’s taking so long? According to Jing, head designer at Juzd Bamboo (pronounced “Juiced Bamboo”) – a new line of urban streetwear made entirely with bamboo fabrics – it boils down to fear. After shopping his brand around to several big name retailers, the overwhelming response was yes on the clothing, no to bamboo. Most claimed that the eco-fabric was a promising yet “untested” prospect.

Jing was undeterred, and the enterprising designer decided to launch his own company, on his own terms. As a matter of personal pride, Jing regards his new label as an attempt to dislodge eco-conscious clothing from the clutches of one small, musky contingent. “It seems like all these other [eco-friendly] lines are designed for hippies, by hippies.” Through a pair of metallic D&G aviators, he shared with The New Agenda his vision for the future of bamboo clothing: “I want to be big like Diesel…but sustainable. These other companies are hollow, superficial. I want some meaning behind my brand, a real philosophy.”

Though there are certainly no hard feelings between Jing and his flower-power predecessors, he sees a future where Juzd offers a stylish alternative to the sack cloth and hemp of yesteryear; in short, a complete paradigm shift. “We have to aim our sustainable clothing to the masses. People don’t buy ugly clothing just to help the environment.” To ensure the highest quality product, Jing sought inspiration from all over the world; from Argentina to the Philippines, Australia to Canada, and he’s assembled a veritable think tank in green fashion. His collaborators range from print and fashion designers to wallpaper and comic book artists; the fruit of which yields a one-of-a-kind design every time.

Best of all, Jing guarantees the moral and fair treatment of all his workers, both locally and overseas in China – a rarely struck balance between ethics and praxis, even for the green industry. He is currently finalizing a deal with Holt Renfrew, a major Canadian retailer on par with Barneys New York, to offer a selection of exclusive Juzd designs. Until then, check out Jing’s original, limited edition T-shirts at juzdbamboo.com.

Still not convinced of bamboo’s bright future? Nothing moves the obstinate like some high-profile celebrity endorsements. According to a recent feature in Us Weekly (oh, the lengths The New Agenda goes to get the hot scoops), Angelina Jolie loves dressing daughter Shiloh in Kicky Pants’ line of baby bamboo clothing. Touting the benefits of naturally hypoallergenic and antibacterial properties, it’s no wonder bamboo clothing is raking in celebrity dollars. For even more proof of bamboo’s versatility, the evergreen and always exciting Daryl Hannah offers an eclectic array of bamboo items on her website dhlovelife.com. From her “beauteous bamboo worm-bin” to exclusive “bad-ass bamboo snowboard,” Hannah firmly supports the myriad uses of bamboo – and alliteration.

So if you’re ready to run the full gamut of bamboo couture, gear up with these pioneering brands:

Swag Hag

Nathalie Atkinson, National Post  Published: Wednesday, September 10, 2008

THE TASTEMAKERS LOUNGE

The theme of this year’s Tastemakers Lounge at the Inter-Continental is Ohhh Canada!, and stars sip libations from Northern Quebec (ESKA spring water) and British Columbia (fair trade, organic and carbon-neutral Salt Spring Coffee).

The Good Hipster design gallery-boutique Ministry of the Interior (ministryoftheinterior.net) provides furniture from Montreal collective Samare for celebs to sit on. It’s babiche that’s woven onto the geometric welded frames by one of the few remaining Huron tribes who practise the traditional technique (originally used for snowshoes).

The Bad A psychedelic, berry-flavoured energy drink called The Jimi Hendrix Liquid Experience ($2.99). Inexplicable.

The Out of Place T-shirts featuring YTV’s resident cute cartoon goth Ruby Gloom (developed in Canada by Nelvana) are for PG-13 tweens and nieces (and Dakota Fanning), not grown-up stars.

The Potential Haul The 10-foot wall covered in hand-flocked wallpaper from Scottish studio Timorous Beasties would run you $5,000; Trollbeads charm jewellery ($300); a Juzd Originals printed T-shirt made from organic bamboo by Toronto’s Jing Liu to wear on the red carpet like Darren Hew-son did ($100 at Holt Renfrew).

Toronto, Ontario – September 5th 2008 – The Fourth Annual Tastemaker’s Lounge is one of the première events of the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Jing Liu, Owner and Lead Designer of JUZD (short for Juiced) Bamboo, will be the event’s youngest sponsor, at the age of 27. Liu, along with other event sponsors including CTV’s eTalk and Sweetspot.ca (as the event’s major sponsors), HBC, Joe Fresh Style, Strellson, and PUMA, will expose event-goers to fresh and unique products coming from some of Canada’s trendiest and most cutting-edge entrepreneurs.

JUZD Bamboo will provide a collection of one-of-a-kind designer bamboo t-shirts for the Tastemaker’s Lounge, running Saturday, September 6th to Friday, September 12th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the InterContinental Toronto Yorkville Hotel.

Liu made history two months ago when his first collection of edgy designer bamboo tees was picked up (with immediate delivery requested) by Canada’s leading luxury retailer, Holt Renfrew. His fast rise in the scene marked a rare event in the fashion industry, where retailers buy lines nine months in advance. Making the quick demand even more shocking is that Liu has no agency design experience or fashion background.

Liu isn’t stopping with Holt Renfrew in his efforts to take the eco-conscious design world by storm. Already working on several deals to extend his line, he expects to see JUZD Bamboo tees available in the US and UK markets before Christmas. Following on the heels of the Holt Renfrew buy, other distributors are also demanding immediate delivery. What is the appeal of the JUZD designs? According to a UK source, “People are tired of going into stores and seeing the same shirt after shirt. This is different. There is presentation, a totally awesome new fabric, and you got this comic in the back. I’m sold!”

Not only are stores taking notice. The media has also jumped onto Liu’s story of finding eco-friendly inspiration to combine his love of art and fashion. Within just 72 hours of announcing the Holt Renfrew deal, eight magazines, four online magazines, a TV show, a radio station, and eight major blogs confirmed coverage.

As the world is eyeing the stars in Toronto, there is a Toronto star that’s eyeing the world.

About JUZD – The Bamboo Streetwear Clothing Company

JUZD (short for Juiced) www.juzd.com is the planet’s first bamboo designer label, established in 2007 by designer Jing Liu. The label emphasizes contemporary high-end streetwear created using exclusive custom-designed and milled bamboo fabric. Each design is inspired by the designer’s vision of “organic” and aggressive style and the philosophy that art and fashion should co-exist in a way that is innovative, eco-conscious, and empowering.

For more information about the event sponsorship, JUZD label, or to set up an interview with Jing Liu, please visit www.JUZD.com or contact Davi Tham at 416-561-2581.

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CONTACT:

Davi Tham

JUZD Bamboo

Tel: 416.561.2581

Email: Davi@juzd.com

Toll-Free: 1.888.589.3462

Fax: 1.888.895.5893

Web: www.JUZD.com