Clubhouse Rags Sportswear

An Artist’s Legacy & A Business

The brainstorm for Clubhouse Rags, Wearable Commemoration of Apparel & Accessories, originated with his two sons, Lee and Cary Lathouwers, brothers and sons of Rags. They are the founders and owners of The Verdeville Studio Company LLC, “Home to Life’s Most Colorful Characters.” Lee’s son Cody Lathouwers is a team member. Partner and graphic designer Dave Davies creates marketing and product design, and his wife, Judy, is also a partner.

The dream was to create a vehicle for their father’s legacy, Leo “Rags” Lathouwers, Graphic Illustrator, Cartoonist, and Storyteller. They knew that by sharing his art and story with the world, something magical and long-lasting would occur.  The plan was to extend outward from there by creating saleable products and selling those on the website. Rags loved golf and created much of his artwork around golf course humor, so that was the obvious starting point.

In their words:

The Business
“A living testament to Leo “Rags” Lathouwers and the sum of his legacy as an artist. This is our way to share him with you.”

The Legacy:
“Honoring Rags and his unique talents as an Illustrator, it seemed obvious to us that we pay homage to his long-standing nickname, Rags. Carrying on his name, the story of Rags endures with his superb drawings as the inspiration for wearable style.”

What We Did & Why

When Lee Lauthouwer called, his story and business concept struck us as being special, right up our alley. We were intrigued by his desire to commemorate his very talented deceased father being the basis for a solid business idea. Our first meeting with the Rags crew was a couple of hours soaking in the art and stories of their father. We were hooked. The art is fantastic. The historical nature of the Rags style paired with the stories that go along is unique and compelling. Funny and poignant.

We worked together to crystallize the concepts for shaping the website. We determined the online approach and created the strategy. That included sorting through a plethora of worthy material, writing the stories, and organizing the artwork. We collaborated on the text content concurrently with the design and development of the website.

We originally approached the project as a legacy website. A biography and showcase for the work while the apparel and accessories were being developed and manufactured. We finished that biographical informational site and then embarked on the e-commerce addition to the site, which was launched later.