BY CHRIS JORDAN • STAFF WRITER • DECEMBER 5, 2010
When it comes to designing fashion, Richie Sambora is a natural.
"It's really about his sense of femininity,'' said designer Nikki Lund, who has collaborated with the Woodbridge-raised rocker on the new WTB (White Trash Beautiful) line. "Not that he's feminine, but he understand women in the best way possible. He has a beautiful daughter Ava (from his marriage to actress Heather Locklear) and he was married and he's into women a lot, which is awesome and good for him. But for me, he's sensitive about dressing a woman's body.''
The Lund-Sambora collaboration began when Sambora, guitarist for Bon Jovi, started wearing the designer's clothes on stage. In 2008, the rocker reached out to Lund with the idea of creating a clothing line together.
"Her talent is never ending … she is a genius,'' said Sambora in a statement. ""Jon (Bon Jovi) and I had this idea for a song "White Trash Beautiful' and I was walking around the house one day and said, "This song sounds like a clothing line.' Nikki had an amazing line of clothes called Eccentric Symphony and distributed her music as the hangtag … I was a fan. I called her up, and it all started from there.''
Fans of the WTB line now include Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Carrie Ann Inaba, Jon Bon Jovi and Locklear. The WTB kickoff took place during L.A. Fashion Week led by Ava, 12, who made her runway fashion bow.
The 2011 spring line features sheer fabrics crossed with metallic looks and leather. The spirit is rock‚'n'‚roll with a bit of a groovy, dark enchantress-aura mixed in.
"It's rock‚'n'‚roll, but what does that mean?'' Lund asked rhetorically. "When you have the clothes you feel a part of the rock‚'n'‚roll attitude, and that's liberation.
"White Trash Beautiful is heavily accented on the cool.''
To be sure, a person doesn't wear WTB to fade into the background.
"They're clothes for people who want to make a statement, an art form, whatever they want to create,'' Lund said. "They're clothes for those who want to be more sexy and beautiful. Everybody has their own sense of rock‚'n'‚roll, be it rockabilly or whatever. You can find something in this collection for you, from a little bustier that you can couple with a pair of shorts and suddenly it's a more bold look. You can dress it up or you can dress it down.''
WTB clothes fall in the price range from $100 to $500, with accessories like tank tops coming in at $40, Lund said. Items currently are available online at wtbclothing.com and locally at Patricia Field, at 302 Bowery in New York City. A men's collection is upcoming.
Musically for Sambora, Bon Jovi has just released a greatest-hits collection and will play three shows … Feb. 24 and 25 and March 5 … at Madision Square Garden in New York City. The band will also find out if it's to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this month.
Apparently, the Lund-Sambora collaboration won't be stopping at clothes. The two are working on new original music together and look to perform in public at some point in the next year.
"Richie and I have a song called "White Trash Beautiful,' but it's not the song he originally wrote,'' Lund said. "It'e been rewritten for me and him.''
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