Back in 2003, Lebanese-born Stephanie Boghossian had had enough of the drabness of the lingerie in her immediate environment, and she so decided to create her own line. With a flair for colour and a scrutinising eye for detail, she would craft all of her creations by hand. The result was masterful, exploiting the finest materials such as silk and French Chantilly lace, making for sultry pieces. “My first collection was the key to my success today,” she says. “My first client was Galerie Lafayette in Paris and from there, I began to sell Lala Rose in very selective and luxurious lingerie boutiques around the world.”
As it turned out, that first order amounted to 30,000 Euros, and as she puts it, “From that point we started selling like wildfire.” Her kitchen-table business quickly had to evolve in order to meet the demand from international retailers like Harvey Nichols in Dubai, Saks Fifth Avenue in Saudi Arabia and Holt Renfrew in Canada. It was not long before she had the factory, a showroom in Beirut and staff in place.
The ‘Lala’ in Lala Rose originates from the Moroccan tradition of prefixing princesses’ names with “Lalla.” It so happened that around the time Boghossian was incorporating her company, she attended a wedding in Marrakech, and upon being called “Lalla Stephanie,” she felt the name had the perfect ring to it. The other half of her brand’s moniker comes from the French word for pink, the colour of sensuality. It is no wonder then that Lala Rose first became famous in Lebanon for its made-to-measure bridal trousseaus. This seems characteristic maybe, yet Boghossian fashions her pieces thematically, whether it is an image for “woman of the desert or woman of Shanghai,” that takes root in her mind, she follows that thread. Previous collections have been drawn from Marilyn Monroe’s zest, India’s Zen approach and the nostalgia of all things vintage. “I don’t follow trends,” Boghossian affirms.
Her favourite colour is an imperial green and her most preferred clothing is lingerie, of course. And Lala Rose is her ultimate kind of style because it is lingerie that you can wear as both underwear and outerwear. Integral to the brand’s concept is that it is “unclassic,” according to her sister and business partner, Valerie Chahoud, despite its more classical beginnings.
So what’s looming on the horizon for Lala Rose? Apparently, next on Boghossian’s to-do list is a flagship store in Oman, her first ever, with plans for further international franchises being drawn up. There will also be a store in Beirut to complement her showroom in 2012. The location must remain a Bespoke secret for now.
Lala Rose is paving new inroads and branching further into the contemporary arena of lingerie. As delicately fashioned corsets and tunics become a more widely accepted form of everyday clothing, Lala Rose’s feminine tops in silk and lace bring a much-needed playfulness to womenswear. Certainly, Boghossian’s vision has not stopped at under-garments; she complements her lines with whimsical accessories. Namely, there are sumptuous robes, branded candles, eye masks and even lucky garter belts. Clearly when it comes to Lala Rose’s world, delicates are not made to be hidden underneath clothing, but destined to be shown off rather, and proudly so at that.
www.lalarose.com
