Though Monique Lhuillier is renowned internationally, Los Angeles is where you’ll find the designer most days. Lhuillier, whose name is synonymous with bridal dreams, has built a lifestyle empire with a full ready-to-wear collection (she showed it in Paris for the first time in July), an Italian-made accessories lines, home categories, and additional licensing with great success. While preparing for her next New York bridal show in October, Lhuillier sat down with us at her 67,000 square foot space in Vernon, California to discuss her brand’s growth and how the city she calls home has played a role in that trajectory.
Monique, your brand originated in LA, but is the decision to keep it here since been intentional?
Nothing was intentional. My husband and I started this company 21 years ago when I was a young bride. I knew I wanted to be in fashion. When I graduated from fashion school, I got engaged and started looking for a wedding dress. I felt there was a lack of fashionable options for a young bride, so we set out to start in bridal because of there was that niche that I thought I could fill. We decided to do a trade show, we made samples, and that was our start. There wasn’t a lot of research, there was no real effort into seeing how it’s done. It was about me coming up with beautiful designs and going to trade shows [with them]. Once we had picked up five or six stores, I realized that it’s tough to be out of LA. Twenty-one years ago, LA was not what it is today, so it was starting from nowhere — no mentorship, no nothing. You were really on your own and all you had to show for it was your product.
Did you find it was harder to gain the design credibility you were looking for coming out of LA?
It was hard to get people to take you seriously at that price point. I had not worked for a storied brand before. I had a couple of seamstresses whom I worked with part-time, and eventually they became full-time and I began building the team. It was really grassroots. The reason we decided to stay in LA is because it’s all we knew. My husband is from here. We love what LA is about. But in the beginning, it would have been so much easier for us if we had started in New York City.
Has proximity to celebrity culture in LA been a boon to the brand?
I’m not sure I have a leg-up being here because I feel like the world is so small now. Everyone has a publicist, everyone is on social media. I don’t think it’s one of the reasons I’m still based in LA. It’s purely a personal choice…to raise our children here, to have this lifestyle. Along the way, I’ve forged great relationships with stylists and celebrities, but I feel like that would have happened in New York, too.
Were there any noticeable challenges that felt specific to LA?
The biggest setback along the way was when we were looking to grow our team in LA and hire people in higher [positions]. It was hard to find that from the small pool in this industry here. There are a lot of jean companies and casualwear. To find people doing the luxury product that we do has been a challenge, and continues to be. The good thing is that there are so many people wanting to move to LA now.
How has your LA lifestyle helped inform your designs and helped set them apart?
Because everyone is so spread out, we all really do our own thing. What you see in my collections is what I’m feeling, what I’m in the mood to do at this moment, what I think is right for the brand and what excites me. After 21 years, it’s nice to be able to have your own identity.
As you’ve grown the brand, do you still consider yourself a bridal designer or fashion designer?
I started in bridal, which I’ll never forget because that was my roots. After that, I wanted to do eveningwear because that was the natural next step. Then, we wanted to dress her earlier in the day, which is how cocktail and separates came into play. Accessories were part of completing the brand visually. I’ve also been able to branch into the home category, first with Waterford and everything that goes into the Registry and now with Pottery Barn. And now I do all the extensions of bridal, from diamond rings with Blue Nile to home fragrance to stationery with the same aesthetic and DNA as the clothing. It’s definitely not a bridal house anymore. It’s about the ‘world of,’ not just bridal.
How has the evolution of LA culture informed and inspired you?
It’s a very exciting time to be based in LA. It was finally embraced as a place of newness, from the contemporary art world to the food scene to fashion. It’s thriving and we have access to everything here. I love seeing how many brands are showing their collections here. It made me open my eyes that it’s not only about New York anymore. You should mix it up as a brand. It’s ok to show in different markets and sprinkle the vision, which is what you saw me doing by showing in Paris for the first time. I decided to address our other markets and our international market is our focus right now. It was Paris last season and maybe next season it will be LA. I can’t believe I’ve never showed here before.
