This is not the story of a young fashion designer serving up a critically acclaimed collection right after graduating design school. Nor is it the story of a label that's been around for years suddenly gaining mass recognition thanks to a major celebrity endorsement. The story of Monse is the culmination of a traditional career—internships, years of hard work, smart networking, and a focused perspective—which has helped the fledgling brand secure both industry praise and a celeb following in one very whirlwind year.
Here, on the heels of the June 6 CFDA awards (Monse is nominated for the Swarovski Award for best emerging womenswear designer) we chat with founders Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia about their skyrocketing one-year-old brand, that CFDA nomination, and how LinkedIn actually helped their careers. Below, five things the pair did to build their very, very successful brand:
#1: They spent years gaining hands-on experience before venturing out on their own
Kim and Garcia met while working at Oscar de la Renta, where they put in a collected period of nineteen years. It wasn't until the passing of Oscar de la Renta that the duo forged their own label with Monse. "The hard work part is a given, but the core values that we learned the most from [de la Renta were] to listen and to have fun," says Garcia. Beyond lessons from Oscar, putting in time at a major company also gave them a serious advantage when launching their brand. During those years, they curated a network of friends—editors, stylists, buyers—who later became invaluable early supporters of the label.
#2: They had a very specific viewpoint from the start
"At this particular time in fashion, we felt the need for a brand that wasn't extremist: not too feminine or too masculine," Garcia states of the brand's mission. Fashion designers striving for "easy elegance" is not a new narrative, but it stirs up the conversation whenever it is done well: There was Donna Karan's redefinition of American sportswear in the '70s; the birth of Calvin Klein in the '90s; Phoebe Philo's victorious return with Céline in 2010; and now Monse. "What was missing," Garcia says, were "more clothes that [made] the girl look like it took five minutes to get ready, which is usually the most attractive girl in the room."
Adds Kim: "Most girls didn't want to dress like a cupcake anymore, you know? Most girls nowadays just want to look cool and relaxed."
#3: They made something their signature so they'd be easy to remember
Their first collection, which premiered in the spring 2016 season, featured a bevy of deconstructed shirts, meticulously crafted to look as though the wearer fell into a pile of men's button downs. They were perfectly slouchy-cool, and they quickly became a signature look for the brand. And though they experimented with new volumes and textiles in their second season, Monse continued the same shirting designs that make them so easily memorable.
#4: They tried whatever they could to get the introductions they needed
Monse wanted to have their line sold on Net-a-Porter, but they had never met Sarah Rutson, the brand's VP of global buying, and needed a way in. So they tried everything they could, including good old LinkedIn. "Laura found Sarah's contact information through LinkedIn, emailed her and she responded within hours, which was incredible. The rest is history," explains Garcia.
"[Kim] did not have images or sketches," Rutson says of the cold-call email, "but her message was worded so well and was concise." "I had a gut feeling that it was going to be great," Rutson adds, so following its launch, the brand's first collection was picked up by the online mega-retailer.
#5: They made sure they'd be ready for the next round of opportunities
You know that old expression, luck is where preparation meets opportunity? The Monse designers are masters at being prepared for really good opportunities, never overextending themselves with time-consuming projects they're not actually passionate about, so that when a great opportunity does come up, they have the bandwidth to take it on. Like when Selena Gomez came calling, wanting to commission the duo to work with stylist Christian Classen to create stage outfits for her current tour. Monse was ready to go to work.
They were also prepared to accept other opportunities that could further their careers and their talents. During the pre-fall 2016 season, Kim and Garcia returned to their roots working for a major design house as consultants for Carolina Herrera, and were officially hired as full-time staffers in February: Kim as senior vice president of design and Garcia as consultant. But they still have no plans of hitting the pause button on Monse.
And regardless of whether they win the CFDA award for emerging designers (they're in good company, sharing the category with minimalist knitwear designer Ryan Roche and Brandon Maxwell of Lady Gaga fame) the brand has a bright future ahead. As Net-a-Porter's Rutson says, "No woman likes to look contrived. [They] are looking for something new that not everyone has." Monse can give them that, offering women "clothing that gives you a sense of languid style that doesn't look forced." What could be better than that?
