Let's meet the mastermind behind this feminine chic line. Nanette Lepore, a name some might not recognize immediately for handbags, debuted her line in 1992. Right now she is most known for her apparel, but she is exploding into the accessories realm with her handbags and with Emma Watson as the ambassador for her cat eye sunglasses.
Growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, Nanette Lepore was exposed to the arts and creativity at a young age. Her father, an abstract painter and her mother, a fashionista of her time, would road trip down Route 66 every summer. This also developed Nanette's love for travelling. Huffington Post states she, “produced her first couture look at the tender age of nine outfitting a neighbor in a floral bedspread, beaded choker and face paint. The girl posed in the family’s front yard behind a hand-lettered sign declaring 'Lepore,' and thus began Nanette’s lifelong interest in fashion.”
Staying in Ohio for her undergraduate studies, she was drawn to the flashing lights of New York City. There began the rest of her life and eventual career, starting at the Fashion Institute of Technology. In 1992, she was granted a $5,000 loan from her father and purchased an office in the Garment District.
Her husband, painter Robert Savage, and her daughter, Violet, are integrally involved in the line. Other things important to Nanette? Politics. Saving the Garment District in New York City. Creating items to be worn by any age.
"I wear a lot more color than most New Yorkers. Wearing all back is sort of the easy way out. Especially during the day, I like to wear big and bold colors. It changes the mood of things and makes you be more creative with your outfit choices."
Brains Behind the Beauty