5 Questions: Monica Wise, L*Space

Monica Wise

Known for the sophisticated, fashion-forward designs of founder and Chief Creative Officer, Monica Wise, L*Space swimwear can be seen on beaches around the world.

Now with an apparel line and a focus on growing international business, we caught up with Monica to see what we can expect from L*Space for the coming season.

What’s new for L*Space this next season; what new trends, colors, and fabrics will we see?




Monica Wise:  We have a lot of exciting things going on. We are releasing a fresh new logo that I love. It’s softer with a feminine touch.

The new L*Space logoThe bikini business is booming! It’s been a fun ride keeping up with the growth. The design aspect has been extremely exciting. Anything goes these days…newness wins.

Accounts are hungry for new and exciting styles with lots of updated looks on our staple pieces that are carried from season to season, and we are no longer being pigeonholed into traditional silhouettes. I love pushing the envelope in a design aspect and it makes me happy that the buyers are all about it. Keeps us on our toes. 

As far as exciting new looks for our brand, our styles revolve around strap details, wraps and cutaways, mixing feminine with athletic inspired silhouettes, as well as a ton of interesting detail. It’s all about mixing it up, which is our DNA.

Photo courtesy of L*Space For the coming season, the Haley top is probably my new fave! I love styles that have a lot of back details with adjustability. Our customers have been begging for styles that don’t tie around the neck so this certainly fills the need.

We had a huge run with our fringe pieces for quite a few seasons and when we felt the slow down approaching we were quick to get new looks out in the stores without skipping a beat. It’s all about reinventing yourself season after season. Finding styles that would replace those fringe dollars was quite challenging, but we did it. Luckily it’s a bigger assortment of looks that are replacing the fringe styles, from tops with a lot of chest detail to basic detail. 

We hear L*Space is expanding its Orange County factory. What percentage of your line is made locally, and how many employees does L*Space have now?

Monica Wise: Yes, later this year we are doubling the size of our Orange County factory to keep up with demand. 100% of our swimwear is made in Orange County. Always was, always will be. This is such an important part of our roots and success.

L*Space has a growing apparel business - Photo courtesy of L*Space

Having the factory locally gives us the ability to visit there daily which is a huge advantage to check on fits and quality control. When I began more than decade ago I spent the majority of my days in the factory, but now I luckily have a top-notch team to handle it.

L*Space now has 25 employees at our office, and 75 factory employees with a plan to expand the team in the next 12 months.

How has the L*Space apparel line been performing at retail, and what have been the top performing styles?

Photo courtesy of L*SpaceMonica Wise:  The momentum of our apparel has really kicked in. We are so pleased with our sell-through performance this season and feeling like we really have the formula down.

We’ve seen some great increases year-over-year. Some of our apparel styles are on the top seller list on our accounts’ weekly sales reports, and that’s a really good sign that we are moving in the right direction with our apparel.

The best selling styles of our resort pieces include rompers, kimonos and anything that’s sheer and sexy. We like to emulate the same soft sensual feel in our apparel pieces that we are known for in swim.

Is L*Space distributed internationally?

Monica Wise:  Yes, we are sold worldwide with a heavy concentration in Europe, Canada and pockets of Asia.

We are really focused on growing our international business. Daily I get email requests from consumers all over the world, and we are focused on making it easier for these girls to buy L*Space.

We’ve picked up some great new European distributors this season that help us expand our international distribution. International growth is on the forefront of our plan in the coming seasons.

What do you think is the biggest opportunity for swim brands in the market today? Biggest challenge?

Monica Wise:  The biggest opportunity for our brand is staying very involved with our retail partners through in-store events and workshops. I truly enjoy the time with their staffs and connecting with consumers one-on-one for personal fittings. It’s a great opportunity that’s really important to me.

And as far as challenges? You better look good because there’s a lot of great talent out there and the market has never looked better. It pushes us to keep it fresh and new! Now that’s exciting.

 

 

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