5 minutes with… the LNA girls!
For a few years now, I’ve been stocking my wardrobe with LA based brand, LNA pieces – they have the comfiest basics & co in great qualities. LNA have a great celebrity following including Kim Kardashian, Kate Moss and Nicole Richie to name a few… Each season, they include a couple of new styles to collections such as biker jackets, maxi dresses, skirts to accompany the perfect T. This week, I interviewed the lovely designers and co founders of LNA, Lauren Alexander and April Leight. We spoke about inspirations, tips for aspiring designers, L.A. and Fashion blogs!
I love LNA, I practically live in them! Do you feel that comfort is a main factor when designing?
We always take the comfort factor into everything that we do. We have to love the way each piece feels on or we won’t make it.
What inspires your collections?
Each collection takes on a different feel every season but the common thread in all of our collections is the feeling of a California brand. No matter what the theme is we always make sure that our staple elements of being a California based company are in there. Most often we are looking at bands for style inspiration. Nothing cooler than seeing Alison Mosshart of the Kills wearing our LNA leather jacket on stage!
What tips would you give designers starting up?
We would have to say to dream as big as possible, don’t ever give up, work your ass off, and always trust your instincts.
LNA is worn by a ton of celebrities! Do you think celebrity exposure gives a great push to brands?
Having celebrities has always benefited LNA. If celebrities are wearing LNA more people see it and more people want to buy it. We feel so lucky to have such a loyal celebrity following.
Do you read Fashion blogs? What are your thoughts on social media use within brands?
YES! We love fashion blogs, they are a great source for inspiration and personal style. Social media is also something that we focus a lot on at LNA. It all started when April got us the LNA twitter! Twitter is a place where we can communicate directly with our customers and also fill them in on the latest LNA news! It’s extremely important for us to have a place where people can reach out to us directly and where we can see what people are saying about us. We also have the LNA blog, Facebook, and Instagram. Each social media platform offers something different from us. The blog is more about getting to know me (Lauren) and what’s currently inspiring me and the Instagram and twitter is more linked to April and what she’s up to. The Facebook is more about press and promotions, so we really try to cover all bases of social media.
Last but not least, what are your favorite shopping haunts in L.A.?
Madision & Madison Gallery for anything from Isabel Marant to Rag & Bone and then WASTELAND for the best vintage tees!
