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Lyric Culture launches a John Lennon apparel collection approved by Yoko Ono

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At 4 years old, Hanna Rochelle-Schmieder, designer for L.A. sportswear brand Lyric Culture, memorized the lyrics to almost every Beatles song.

Twenty-nine years later, she’s parlaying her love of the Fab Four — and particularly John Lennon — into a new capsule collection — sanctioned by Yoko Ono herself.

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The 3-year-old brand, which incorporates famous song lyrics into its designs from the likes of Joan Jett, Aerosmith and Bob Dylan, will be releasing a John Lennon-themed clothing and accessories collection in early October exclusively at Bloomingdale’s — to coincide with EMI Records’ release of the remastered John Lennon ‘Double Fantasy’ album (which turns 30 this year).

Lyric’s Lennon collection, which was personally approved by Ono before going into production, includes six men’s screen-printed tees, four men’s scarves, two cufflinks, two men’s necklaces and two men’s bracelets. For women, there are two fashion tees and a scarf (though more women’s items will likely be added, said Rochelle-Schmieder). Prices range from $45 to $75.

The T-shirt designs pair old photos of Lennon with his lyrics. On one shirt, we see the music legend playing piano, the lyrics for ‘Imagine’ streaming above him (‘You might say that I’m a dreamer / But I’m not the only one’); another is emblazoned with a famous photo of Lennon in sunglasses and a leather jacket, serving as a backdrop for the printed words, ‘A working class hero is something to be.’

Rochelle-Schmieder, who was a singer and a songwriter before launching the collection (she’s the daughter of classical conductor Eduard Schmieder), owns the licensing rights for many major music publishing companies — giving musicians an additional source of revenue — but says Lennon’s music was previously unavailable to her, as it’s separate from the Beatles catalog.

‘I was always dying to do something with John Lennon’s music,’ said the 33-year-old, who was inspired to start her fashion collection after jotting down some of her own lyrics on a pair of jeans. ‘I’m such a huge Beatles fan. We got in touch with Yoko’s lawyer and she saw the designs and fell in love with them.’

--Emili Vesilind

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[Update: Photo of shirts from the collection replaced illustrations.

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