Apple Bottoms
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Apple Bottoms is a fashion and lifestyle brand for women, which was launched in 2003 by multi-platinum recording artist Nelly, alongside Yomi Martin & Ian Kelly. Nelly’s vision for the brand is that “a woman should not try to fit the clothes; the clothes should fit the woman![1]”
The brand, which when launched, was exclusively a denim label, and has since gone through a major line-expansion. Currently the Apple Bottoms label includes: apparel, footwear, handbags, eyewear RX, intimates, sunglasses, accessories, jewelry, cold weather, and girl’s apparel.
Icer Brands, LLC, in collaboration with Nelly, holds the exclusive licensing rights to the product development and marketing of Apple Bottoms. Nelly works very closely with the design team to oversee all productions,and ensure that they are consistent with his vision.
Nelly
The American Rapper was signed by Universal Studios in 2000. Nelly won his first Grammy award in 2003, and then won a second Grammy in 2004. He is the first solo artist to have made a debut at #1 and #2 on the Billboard Top Album Charts[2]. He has since had 35 million + records sold worldwide, and his newest album "Brass Knuckles" was just released (in September 2008).
Aside from being a singer/songwriter, actor, entrepreneur, and designer, Nelly is also a philanthropist. The artist started two charities. "Jes Us 4 Jackie[3]" was started in response to his sister Jackie Donohue’s battle with Leukemia, in order to educate, and encourage minorities to become bone-marrow donors. Apple Bottoms was used as a fundraiser for the organization. The second charity is called “4 Sho 4 Kids[4]” and focuses on improving the quality of life for children born with developmental disorders. The organization provides educational classes as well as health-care services.
Pop Culture
The term "Apple Bottoms jeans" is featured in the song "Low" by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain[5]. In the 2008 movie Tropic Thunder actor Tom Cruise dances to the song during a cameo appearance. It is also featured in the Flo Rida song Elevator. The term is also used in the songs "Tip Drill" and "Paradise" by Nelly, the founder of the brand, and in the Eminem single "Shake That" (ft. Nate Dogg) from his 2005 album, Curtain Call, and his 2006 album (Remix ft. Nate Dogg, Obie Trice, Bobby Creekwater) The Re-Up.It is referred to in various Hip-Hop songs, such as "Overnight Celebrity" by rapper Twista, and more recently the R&B singer Flo Rida in the song "Low" featuring T-Pain. The name of the brand is derived from a slang term to describe the shape of a woman's buttocks.
In 2004, Apple Bottom jeans were featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show as one of Oprah's Favorite Things [6]. Oprah also featured the jeans in her magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine [7] The jeans were also mentioned on The Ellen Degeneres Show, when the host answered a reader's letter by citing Wikipedia[8]. More recently, Apple Bottoms was showcased on America's Next Top Model Cycle 10 on March 5, 2008[9]. Apple Bottoms jeans were also listed in the Denim Bible as the "The brand to watch for in 2009[10]"
References
- ^ http://lifestyle.applebottoms.com/company.asp
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts.jsp
- ^ http://jesus4jackie.com/
- ^ http://www.4sho4kids.org/
- ^ Flo Rida - Low Lyrics
- ^ Oprah's Favorite Things 2004: Apple Bottom Jeans by Nelly
- ^ Apple Bottoms Jeans
- ^ Ellen DeGeneres Show Video Gallery - Ellen in a Minute, Wednesday in a Minute, 7/23/08
- ^ http://lifestyle.applebottoms.com/whats_good.asp?rec_id=32
- ^ http://www.denimbible.sportswearnet-special.com/