Toyota's Scion launches clothing line

Carmaker Toyota's Scion division has launched a line of sportswear for its youthful drivers. The Scion car models are extremely popular with young, trendsetting individuals. As part of a complete lifestyle offering the company is therefore introducing its new apparel line Release.

The collection, designed by New York based designers Blue Davis and Jupiter Desphy 3 rd , was launched last week. The duo won a competition to design the collection, although neither had any previous fashion designing experience.

"From the start it was a collaboration that allowed it to be more than just promotional merchandise for a car company," Davis told WWD. "We wanted to put a lot of heart and soul into it."

"It's designed to cater to a particular mind-set, the Lower East Side skate/urban person," Scion's sales and promotions manager Jeri Yoshizu told WWD. "It's not for the person who is a thrift store shopper, but for someone who wants everything new, clean and pressed."

Davis describes the collection as a "hip approach to golf wear", adding that "it's a combination of conservative and street, like the idea of Jay-Z wearing a button-down shirt."

The line consists of sweater vests, polo shirts, hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, sweater vests and trousers and is inspired by traditional Scottish argyle patterns and Japanese rock gardens. Prices at retail range form $65 (£36,40) for a polo shirt to $175 for a jacket.

Initially, the collection will only be available online at scion.com/releaseline, but Yoshizu said distribution might at some point include high-end specialty stores. "Our goal is that Scion continues to represent a certain lifestyle. We need to keep doing things that are centred more around the lifestyle aspects of the brand, versus just a shirt with a car or logo on it. The idea is to recognize designers and give them a platform to design their own line."