• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, March 27, 2008

True Religion Apparel is launching a nearly $2 million campaign to grow consumer awareness of the brand through print ads in such national fashion pubs as Vogue, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Lucky, InStyle, Maxim, and GQ, as well as several regional luxury lifestyle publications, such as Ocean Drive, Gotham, Angeleno, and LA Confidential.

The effort is the company's first significant marketing investment, according to CFO Pete Collins. "Our marketing plan was, first, to get a really great product, which we did," he says, "then to open our own stores, and now we're at the part where we place advertisements to make sure people know about us."

True Religion has 15 retail outlets in the U.S., with plans to open 20 more this year. The women's ad images were shot in Malibu, Calif., by photographer Ashley Barrett, whose clients include Dior, Bloomingdale's, Elle, and Women's Wear Daily. The women's ads showcase supermodel Marisa Miller, a Victoria's Secret Angel and the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl, in True Religion's premium denim, distinctive knits and sportswear, swimwear, footwear and accessories.

The men's ads feature what the company calls the "Nathan Giant Big T" in the newly introduced Blacklight denim group.

True Religion also issued a press release this week, saying that it has received an extension to April 30 from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications panel to file its annual report for the year ending Dec. 31, its quarterly report for the quarter ended Sept. 30 and its restated financial reports for the fiscal years ending Dec. 31, 2005 and 2006, including the quarters therein and the quarters ended March 31, 2007, and June 30, 2007.

Collins says accounting errors had caused the company to have to restate its earnings.