Soon going for its fifth year, the Tastemakers Lounge at TIFF never fails to please its guests. This past year’s (2008) theme was “Ohhh Canada!,” which was an homage to all Canadian accomplishments in the film industry. Of the twenty companies that were selected to introduce the latest trends in clothing and interior design, JUZD was one that caught the eye of Canada’s premier trend spotting lifestyle guide, Sweetspot.ca.

Original article: http://www.sweetspot.ca/national/tiff_2008/4839/swag_spotting_juzd_tees/

Swag Spotting: JUZD Tees

Tuesday, Sep 09, 2008

WHAT: JUZD T-shirt
WHERE: Tastemakers Lounge
BUY IT: www.juzd.com/shop/ ($100) and now at Holt Renfrew

Yes, we’ve seen a lot of T-shirts (heck, we wear a lot of T-shirts), so when this one made us stop for a second look, we knew we had stumbled onto something great. The awesome red print superimposed on a sparkly gunmetal damask gets attention without resorting to cheeky slogans. And once we got it on, our attention was all on the crazy softness (but still thick and structured) feel on our skin. Thank the bamboo (and all of the high tech reasons) and the attention to design detail. Sure, a screen printed comic cover on the inside of our tee isn’t necessary…but it is amazing

Original Post: http://xyyz.ca/thewyre.php?wc=8&wid=1007

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.”

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).

Jing Liu (27) will represent young entrepreneurs at this year’s Fourth Annual Tastemaker’s Lounge event, part of the Toronto International Film Festival from September 6 – 12. The Owner and Lead Designer of Toronto-based JUZD bamboo (www.JUZD.com), designers of organic bamboo streetwear, Liu will be the youngest sponsor of the event which introduces tastemakers to innovative product releases from Canadian companies.

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