The 3rd Collection - Sneaky Peaky!

We've finally thought it was time to lift the lid on some of our new designs that we've been working on..We revealed them last week on Facebook page and we're pretty happy with the feedback we have received - would love you to chime in..

Anyway, in total we will have four new t-shirt designs..Two of the designs you can see masterfully modelled by Elena here and then two more designs that will remain a mystery for now...Well, one of them..I'll divulge it here first that we are finally, finally, going to have a black t-shirt. Lot's of people have been asking for a black tee and so we've gotten our act together and will have one for you..The black design will be just like this dazzling white one "LadyUmbrella Meets Peter Pan" except, well, black (ooooh)..

The other design is called Famous Frames and features a posse of peculiar poultry in various states of distress, unrest, happiness, crooning and chuckling - and one LadyUmbrella...Can only ever be one LadyUmbrella - two of them would be just too bizarre..and impossible to pass them on a foot path if they were in front of you ;)

And, for the mathematical whiz kids amongst us who are going "but, what about the 4th design?" I'm afraid that that all this sneaky peaky will contain is what has been divulged above..With that said though we really really want to get your thoughts and feedback on our new designs..Do you like them, love them, loathe them? Please, let us know :) We hope to have these babies with us in the not too distant future (month or so perhaps) and will reveal the 4th one soon...wait til you see it! Ole :)


P.S. Sharing is caring! Our IT boffins have have got a new Facebook "like" button and Twitter ReTweet button on the top of all our blog posts..Give them a click and make us smile!

A Sell Out Saturday!

We have had another first and it would be wrong for me not to blog about it hehe..We had a very busy Saturday yesterday and sold out of all of size 12 "Away with the Birds". We're both happy and sad that this has happened.

We're happy obviously because we now know that "Away with the Birds" is our top design and to sell out of it in one size is a way of reassuring us that we are doing something right with our ladies t-shirts. Also happy because a great fan of LadyUmbrella, @xxMissNovemberx, got the last one and we wouldn't want her disappointed and having to wait...

Ah, having to wait - part of the reason that we are sad that we have sold out. We really want people to be able to get the size and style they want when they want it and hope that those who want to get an Away with the Birds in size 12 aren't too disappointed - we still have all other sizes and styles available ;) It is now possible to stake your claim and pre order a size 12 (or 14 or 16) "Away with the Birds" as we hope to have them in stock soon - send us a mail or leave a comment here or on our facebook fanpage and we'll put you on the list..Please RT that info with the handy green RT button up the top..

It is no surprise that we sold out due to our sale and it's great to see so many people ordering our t-shirts..All orders received today will be shipped tomorrow so take advantage of the sale, get the extra 15% off coupon and get the t-shirt you want before it's sold out..You can order now from our online t-shirt shop whilst the sale is in full swing..Stay happy all..ole..

We Like to Do Things Differently!

[WARNING: THIS BLOG CONTAINS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT]
We like to do things differently here at LadyUmbrella ladies t-shirts as it keeps things interesting and exciting for us - and hopefully for you too...In the past we've had a few fun deals and promtions but we've been rather quiet about the big one...the big one which excites us the most and which we hope all of those who have already bought a LadyUmbrella t-shirt know about - Bonus Batch Bingo...And, for those of you who read this blog you're going to get to see our new video before anyone else because I like you guys :) We'll put it on the fanpage in a few days but for now this is the place to see it..

One of things at the very core of LadyUmbrella is our desire to give our customers something that is unique to them and that no one else will have. We try do this via our time consuming hangtags..Our hangtag, the card which usually displays some info about the t-shirt or product, has been transformed into a ticket of sorts into what we call Bonus Batch Bingo. Here you can see one of our 6 different hangtags (each t-shirt has its own hangtag)..And if you like the image please press the big green RT button in the top right - every RT makes us smile :)

Each of our hangtags go through a disciplined and dedicated stamping process. Then, as we receive an order Elena signs, numbers and dates the hangtag so that whoever buys it will have something that no one else will have...Here is our new video about said tags and you guys, our beloved blog readers, are the first to see it - let us know what you think!!



We then had the idea of Bonus Batch Bingo whereby we would draw a number at random which would correspond to one hangtag batch code and whoever owns that t-shirt will win one of their choosing..All the winner has to do is send us a picture of the t-shirt and hangtag (preferably with them wearing it hehe) or put it on our facebook fanpage within 5 days and we'll send them any t-shirt they want - just like that...

And that's that, our hangtags and how we are going to do things a little bit differently..what do you think? think it is a fun little idea? Any other ideas for fun things we could do with our hangtags? and what did you think of our latest video? Lets hear it...and, to get yourself entered into bonus batch bingo you should really go here ;) Stay happy all and have a great Easter..

LadyUmbrella in the Irish Star

This is just a short post full of unbridled adulation and sheer delight. Saturday 27th of February 2010 is a day for the diary as LadyUmbrella ladies clothes have hit a national newspaper in the form of the Chic pullout in the Irish Star. Glossy paper baby - love it!!! If you happen to have a copy of it lying around your house check page 14 and see if you spot some familiar looking styles ;) if you don't happen to have a paper just well, check out the image here ---->

We can't believe how sweet this is and have got to say big thanks of Aoife Kelly for being interested in mentioning little old us. Anyway, we've gone nuts and rejoiced and have a 15% off coupon code to celebrate the publication. Use sweet15lu to get 15% off all ladies t-shirts and as always free shipping world wide :) Stay happy all..ole..

LadyUmbrella Ladies Clothes Competition

Hello all, things are, as always, hectic here as we are working away with videos, pictures and all sorts of cool things for our ladies clothes. We are working on a dynamite two part video thing that we hope you'll all enjoy watching but I can't say anymore about that...

What this shop blog is about is our LadyUmbrella ladies clothes competition that we are now running on entertainment.ie. It is a real fun competition and easy to enter - you just have to register on the site and then answer the question about us for a chance to win not one but TWO LadyUmbrella t-shirts. And, there are prizes for 3 people making it (drumroll) 6 t-shirts in total..so, don't hang around here any longer, go and ENTER...you can of course leave a comment though if you'd like ;) if you win which 2 t-shirts would you choose?

Our babies are landing....

Our babies are landing - worldwide..needless to say our babies are our LadyUmbrella ladies t-shirts and regular readers and those we affectionately term "LUFANS" will be aware of the fact that we just recently launched our online t-shirt shop. We're also over the moon at the fact that our t-shirts have been whizzing around the globe and I'm now on first name basis with those in the local post office :)

So, where have our t-shirts touched down and what are people saying about them? We have received some lovely comments on our facebook fanpage and I'll just mention them here now to freeze them in the annals of time that a blog provides..

1) Jessica - America
Just got my shirts in the post and i wanted to say how even more awesome they are in person than in the pictures. the designs are beautiful and seriously the quality of the shirts is better than ones in a lot of retail stores. totally happy with my purchase! :) thanks lady umbrella! She also wrote a blog about the fact here

2) Heidi - America
Hi Rob,I just got my Tee in sunny Florida. LOVE IT! Great job to you and Elena. Best of luck!

3) Mary - Ireland
Hey guys! Just letting you know that I received the t-shirts yesterday! They are georgous. And my sister loves hers. Keep up the good work guys.

4) Fabian - Germany
HeyHo, yesterday the two amazing LadyUmbrella shirts arrived at my home in Germany. I ordered them last Thursday and they're already here. My Girlfriend was so happy when she got them and she looks fantastic in those shirts. So thank you very much Elena and Rob for creating LadyUmbrella ;) Greetz from Germany Fabian

5) Liz - England
2 prize tees arrived this morning and they are luverley, just my sighs! Rob, I thank you for choosing them for me. All hail to Lady Umbrella and may her rain be long and happy. Liz

6) Eliana - Italy
Ciao Rob!!!! grazie mille the t-shirt its fantastic!!i love it!!!

Really we are delighted at the response our t-shirts have gotten and have some BIG BIG news lined up for all you readers out there - stay tuned.

As a company, small and humble, we are elated at how our ladies t-shirts have been received and the response and feedback and the kind words people have been saying.

On a personal level, I'm just flabbergasted and delighted. It has been a real tough journey to get here and I'm aware that the journey is just really starting but I am eager to rise to any challenge that may come in the future. This LadyUmbrella venture has ignited a flame within me and I am 100% committed and passionate about shipping out awesome t-shirts to awesome people. Those of you who have bought a t-shirt already I thank you. It is hard to quantify the pleasure of seeing my inbox light up like a Christmas tree when an order is received as I then know that we can send a bit of happiness somewhere in the world - and that is what it is about for me. Clearly, I want to make a successful business out of LadyUmbrella but that thought is secondary to sending happiness. I want people to be surprised and happy from the moment they place an order with us - those who have ordered already have something to look forward to and know what I'm talking about (and no, it't not just receiving the t-shirt hehe but that will also be special).

Anyway, before this becomes a long rambling and meandering post I'll curb the typing antics now. As I said, some big big news coming soon so check back here pretty soon or why not subscribe? And, I'm taking bets - what will the next new country we ship to be, place your bets

Wales - 3/1
Scotland - 3/1
France - 4/1
Canada - 4/1
Sweden - 5/1
Australia - 6/1
New Zealand - 6/1
Portugal - 6/1
Mexico - 6/1
Argentina - 6/1
Brazil - 7/1

Clearly there are more countries in the world so let me know where you think the next one is going..whoever gets it right will get some goodies...hit me with those comments and stay happy...

2010 - The Arrival of LadyUmbrella

Hello LUFANS, this is just a short post to let you all know that we haven't forgotten about launching :) It has been a long time coming but finally we are happy with our ladies t-shirts and on the brink of launching. It has taken about 16 months to get LadyUmbrella to where it is now and we hope that the world will take kindly to our own brand of womens fashion.

Each of our t-shirts are 100% combed cotton and every aspect of them is created by the lady behind LadyUmbrella, Spanish designer, Elena Montes Casado. Everything, from the shape of the t-shirt, the neck label, the designs and our hang tags.

Each of our t-shirts customised hang tags will be signed, dated and numbered by Elena so that each t-shirt is truly unique to you. Not only that but all of our t-shirts will have free shipping worldwide and you can get a 10% discount by joining our facebook fanpage and leaving a comment letting us know which design of ours is your favourite..

We are really excited about launching and can't wait to start shipping our t-shirts all around the world. The long awaited arrival of LadyUmbrella t-shirts is almost upon us - which design is your favourite?...

Stay happy, LadyUmbrella..

A t-shirt photo shoot fairy tale pictorial..

Hello LUFANs, I apologise profusely for the lack of updates in the last weeks but I now have the pleasure of recounting the tale of the LadyUmbrella t-shirts photo shoot and showing you pictures that you won't be able to see anywhere else.

So lets kick off the update with the photo shoot. On Saturday 28th of November we enlisted the help of model Elaine O'Carroll, make up artist Ciara Thompson and camera man Darren Christie from Life in No Motion Photography to take some photos our beloved t-shirts.

After just 5 hours sleep an early start for me was remedied by 2 turbo boosted cups of coffee..the door bell rang three times as the team assembled in LUHQ to enter the room which we had "rigged" (I'm a big fan of describing the rigging efforts). We applied wrapping paper to the wall to create the backdrop. The room had to radically transformed to make space so the bed was put up on its side against the wall and used it as the accessory rack - the mattress was delicately wedged into place in a different corner of the room between wall and wardrobe. Another feat of engineering was our wind machine - Ciara doubled up and daintily jigged from zeyphr to gale and delighted the Beaufort scale fanning Elaine with a shoe box lid - golden. Hopefully the pictures depict the scene and check out Elaine wearing "LadyUmbrella is Friends with Sir David Attenborough" (yep, we have changed the name of the t-shirt to give proper kudos to the great man).


Darren snapped frantically and captured the magic as it unfolded. The whole day was an enjoyable one. A pizza break and lots of laughter with the lights.. The lighting providing a never ending muscle burning challenge to me as I tried to keep the illumination steady and constant whilst not laughing too hard at the fan machine in action. Sometimes I laughed too hard though.

A total of about 8 hours were spent in the room taking about 452 pictures not to mention the pictures Elena took. Time thankfully flew though and and we are very pleased with the results - check out Elaine rockin' "What Came First - the Chicken or LadyUmbrella". This blog post coincides nicely and announces the fact that we are now uploading the finished photos - firstly to the LadyUmbrella Facebook Fanpage and then to our website when we open our store doors (which, I can reveal, will be soon [and I know I've said that before but we hope to receive the t-shirts on Thursday - you heard it hear first sush])..

We have already uploaded two designs and will upload the remaining 4 in the next 4 days - check them out and let us know what you think..which design will be your favourite?

And so, the fairytale ends..lots more tales to recount to you though in the coming days so stay tuned and stay happy...

And the results are in...

Wow, the LadyUmbrella compe-tee-tion has come to an end and it has been an absolute marathon...Genuine thanks to those who took part and voted and now...without further ado I'd like to give you our winners....

First place, with 32% of the votes, Dorothy Cotter
"Warning: LadyUmbrella may not keep you dry but will brighten your day in the blink of an eye"
Second place, with 28% of the votes, Catherine Miller
"Warning: LadyUmbrella may not keep you dry but will mean you become irresistible to all other forces of nature"
Third Place, with 18% of the votes, Susan Kramer
"Warning: LadyUmbrella may not keep you dry but will not melt"

And here is a screen shot...luvly jubbly...

In true competition fashion though we have yet another prize to award for the one entry that we all just loved and that made us all chuckle...Stand up Elizabeth Perring and take a bow - some t-shirts are heading your way as well for your entry of
"Warning: LadyUmbrella may not keep you dry but will stop a storm in a D Cup"..

Ok so, thats it, thats a wrap..I'll be in touch with all the lucky winners to sort out the prizes and stuff...on a personal level though I'd just like to say once again thanks to all those who took part and told their friends about our competition - we're just a little t-shirt company from Ireland and were really blown away by the number of entries...watch this space for more competitions, yes yes, there will be more...

A Kind of Magic...

Sometimes I just can't wait...When I was a kid at Christmas I used to get up at all hours to try see the booty that the main man, S. Claus, had dumped for me from his sack...they were good times..

This inability to wait has continued in my life - I like doing things quickly..once I created the LadyUmbrella t-shirts YouTube page I had to get some sort of video created for it, to fill the void til our other video gets edited..

The thing is though we don't have a camcorder (or whatever they are called these days?) so we had to improvise..Our improvisation resulted in this "lighting rig" being created to get enough light on the, eh, "set" (desk). I'm quite happy with the tower structure - 3 cushions from a couch for base, fold out chair for height and external hard drive combined with an art deco book to give the bedside lamp the perfect angle - yep, twas a professional set up alright...

To actually make the video I moved in super slow-mo as Elena set her camera to rapid-picture-taking-burst mode and captured over 200 stills of the magic unfolding..Then she sewed the pictures together in iMovie, we got some funky old school music, some choice sound effects and added a lot of time to get what we call a kind of magic..we got so lucky with how the timing of the music worked out (or we think so anyway) and are happy with the end result..for your viewing pleasure..



Its fair to say the Steven Spielberg probably ain't quaking in his boots and that Tom Cruise has no job concerns but we are happy with our first foray into the silver screen...if you like the video - please, tell a friend, tweet it, share it, shout about it from a mountain..the choice is yours...

Alright, nice and sweet..I'll let the moving images do the talking...oh but, ye, should also mention that we are taking pre-orders - leave us a comment on the LadyUmbrella Facebook Fanpage telling us the one you want and we'll give you a 10% discount and a guarantee of a tee - nice...peace out...


EDIT: Since posting this blog I'm delighted to say that our video has been mentioned on the awesome Teeoff Blog and the insanely cool watchteev.com t-shirt video page...anyone else like to mention our blog? Let me know and I'll link you...rock on..

Heuston: We Have Lift Off (t-shirt blog lift off)

Hello world,

Well, first thing I'm going to do before I launch into this blog is to introduce myself, I don't know if its customary to do that in blogs or not but I'll be polite and do it anyway..

I am Rob, 26 years old, living in Dublin, Ireland and currently starting to run a t-shirt business called LadyUmbrella..."t-shirt business?" you say - already intrigued huh?

Well, to get to this stage I've avoided all the shortcuts, gone down many long and winding roads (which I'll divulge in future blogs, oh the stories) and pursued different things...So, how did I stumble upon the t-shirt business - not from anything I studied anyway...

When I finished school I went onto performance music college for a 2 year diploma..I rocked my socks off there in a band called Made in Taiwan and made some life long buddies..the 2 years there were all too short and the good times that were had there were unimaginable: being on stage in a pretty good band, meeting new people, "chillin", being around creative/musical people and having a cool bunch of teachers and lecturers who just, to their very core, lived and "vibed" with the music...they were phenomenal times where I met life long friends (like this guy, Richie, who played bass in M.i.T and also works with me in the LadyUmbrella business - here is his blog) and I fondly recall all the sweet rockage...The course was truly great and although the credentials I gained from it might not have been stellar, it was wonderfully put by one of our lecturers as we were leaving for the last time "You've gained some very important and useful life skills"....Rock on!!!

Then, once I obtained my diploma in music I did what all budding rockstars do and went on to do a degree in, eh, I.T...why I did this I'm still not sure...I guess it was a combination of A) Being able to type B) Having enough points to get accepted to the college C) In the back of my mind (even though I was wearing purple flared cord pants at the time - no, they weren't in fashion) I figured getting a degree and living the student life for 4 more years would be a good idea..set myself up for life as it were so that, in case and just in case the rockin' didn't work out, I'd have something to fall back onto..

Well, I did my time...4 years of crap...do I like computers now? - no...can I still type - yes...would I do it again - its a coin toss...I learned a whole heap about computers and got a good degree but sitting in front of a computer all day was just not for me (blogging and facebooking are totally different though, ye?)...I got a job in computers when I graduated and lasted for....drumroll...1 week..I e-mailed my boss on the Saturday just letting him know that I wouldn't be back - one week was long enough to solidify the fact that computers were not for me...

Since then I've had spells as a door to door salesman, a fund accountant, and a band manager..all interesting in their own right but I won't go into to them at length at the minute...ultimately, the key point to note is that I've found my way into the realm of t-shirts...

How? Well, I've been unemployed for a while, not lazy or being a spunge, but just trying to see what will fit for me..Being my own boss is the dream..so, how could I do this, be my own boss and live the dream...I fortunately came across a Spanish designer, befriended her and started going out with her...turned out she, amongst other things that she is wonderful at, could draw and photoshop like no one I'd ever seen before..

So, about a year ago she had some sketches and did her magic and made them appear in photoshop (its not magic really, I know that, I have a degree in I.T hehe)...the designs were pretty narly and the concept and name, LadyUmbrella, were also pretty interesting..I did some online research and created a survey...went and begged people to do my survey (not just friends but randomers, friends tell you what you want to hear) and got some pretty positive results...We then decided to have a good go at it and see if we can set up a t-shirt company.

We are a year down the road now...the designs have been rejigged numerous times, tears have been shed, set backs have been met, google has been utilised to the max and many many hours have gone into it...now, we are online at LadyUmbrella.com and Facebook (feel free to "fan up") and are just weeks away from getting our stock (how many weeks, we're not quite sure but we wait patiently/frustratingly) and are getting giddy about our launch..

Finally, what is this blog about? We'll, I'd like to think I've learned a bit in last year or so about t-shirts and hope to divulge that to whoever may be reading (please say hi or leave a comment if you read this, otherwise my finger ache is for nothing)...Also hope to tell some interesting stories and post the rare gem of a Youtube link when I find one...like this...it made me laugh...hard...I also hope to let the world know about how LadyUmbrella and our t-shirts are progressing as that is what I do now - 18 hours a day, 7 days a week...would I change it for an I.T. job? - no...for a fund accounting job? - no...for a door to door sales job? - no...to be a rockstar? - quite possibly...

On that note...

Rock on...