Ready to give Canadian designer’s line a chance

Fashion designer Kelly Pettit started with a simple question in crafting a clothing line inspired by John Lennon: Can she imagine the legendary singersongwriter wearing it?

She most definitely does, Pettit says, noting her years-long development process was driven by a deep reverence for Lennon’s artistry.

“I always say (there’s) God, Santa Claus and then there’s John Lennon,” Pettit says from Las Vegas, where she was offering a preview to American buyers at a trade show with her company Caulfeild Apparel Group.

Drawing cues from Lennon’s solo years, Pettit calls the Canadian throwback collection “vintage with a little modern twist.”

It includes T-shirts featuring Lennon’s sketches, dress shirts imprinted with more art and handwritten lyrics (including those for Imagine and Beautiful Boy), and leather outerwear, casual blazers, sports shirts, casual pants, Henleys and polos.

It draws heavily on Lennon’s minimalist jeans-and-T-shirt style, while steering clear of more dated garb that could be seen as passe instead of nostalgic.

But imagining whether Lennon himself would wear the clothes is key to honouring the legend’s enduring art, songs and personal style, and ultimately, ensuring the success of the line, she says, revealing that his widow, Yoko Ono, “wasn’t approving” of the previous licence-holder’s approach.

Lennon’s widow insisted on vetting everything from sketches to fabrics to samples to the news release, all in an effort “to keep the integrity,” says Pettit.