Somewhere, Colin Chapman is spinning like a dervish.
Lotus, the company that long thrived on the mantra, "Simplify, then add lightness" and maintained a singular focus on exceptional sports cars like the Lotus 23 in the pic, announced today that it is launching a clothing line. Oh, wait. Pardon us. Not a clothing line, but "a new luxury lifestyle brand." It's called Lotus Originals, and the company says this about it:
Yes, Lotus called itself a "lifestyle brand." It's part of CEO Danny Bahar's effort to expand market share and build on Lotus' racing heritage. It's the same reasoning that prompted the company to roll out five new models and toy with the idea of developing its own engines instead of using Toyota mills.
We fully understand the need to grow the business, especially in light of mounting competition from the likes of, well, everyone. And we're not quite so miffed as others by the steadily increasing size and weight of the cars from Hethel. But this is too much.
We're not sure what kind of "Lotus DNA of innovation and design excellence" you'll find in "100 percent cashmere" sweaters, "hand-treated" leather jackets and "executive gaming sets" (whatever those are). We'd sure like to see more of it in, you know, the cars.
Photo: Lotus. The glorious Lotus 23 with models wearing Lotus Originals.
