Resident gets her T-shirt line hopping
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers ON DISPLAY- Annette Leeds, designer of BunnyWear, poses in her Simi home with some of the clothes she's designed.

Bunny loves carats, not carrots- at least that's what Annette Leeds says.

Before the 43-year-old Simi Valley entrepreneur started her BunnyWear clothing line, she had a vision. In her mind, Bunny was just a goodhearted girl who happened to like diamonds.

"She's really an alter-ego of me," Leeds explained. "That's how things got started, so I had a graphic artist draw her up."

BunnyWear clothing is Leeds' latest creative business endeavor that features a character from "This Bunny Loves Karats," an original screenplay she wrote. Now, the blonde Bunny graces all the clothing from Leeds' new logo sportswear company.

The clothing line currently features Bunny with four different "personalities," or themes, each with its own set of women's clothes and shoes.

For the rugged woman, there's Boot Camp Bunny. For the allAmerican patriot, there's USA Bunny. For summertime fun, there's Beach Bunny and for a night on the town, Black Jack Bunny is the way to go.

"The clothes and personalities are how you feel," Leeds said. "It's kind of like the clothing version of a mood ring."

Leeds said she has in production six additional themes that "stay within the confines of their Bunny." They will be released in the near future. The line includes everything from T-shirts and pants to jackets and flip-flops.

The prices range from $29 to $65, she said.

"When it comes to being casual, that's what most people lean towards," Leeds said. "I make sure that it's always something that I would wear. I'm just shopping for myself, really."

Leeds, who's lived in Simi with her husband since 1982, has one son and one daughter; both are going through their residencies to become licensed surgeons.

Her firsthand knowledge of what it's like for young adults to go through medical school is what inspired Leeds to write the "Bunny Loves Karats" screenplay, which is about a first-year resident doctor in Manhattan who ends up living in a multimillion-dollar penthouse that's left to her by a patient upon his death.

"She's a girl with a good heart," Leeds said.

While she waits for her screenplay to be picked up by a television show producer, Leeds plans to expand her business.

She's currently seeking celebrity endorsements in addition to the ones she's already received from Eva Longoria and Danielle Savre. She's also been attending retail clothing shows to get her brand out in the market.

"This was never a venture about money," she said. "It was a venture of something I wanted to do."

For more information or to purchase BunnyWear clothing, visit bunnywearinc.com or call (805) 578-0288.