Today we’d like to introduce you to Liliya Dilanyan.
Liliya, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Armenia. At the age of ten, my family moved to America where we settled in Los Angeles, CA. As I later progressed in my work I got married and had a daughter named Aida Isabella. I was always playing dress up with her. I put her in pageants, modeling, commercials, etc. Fast forward, Aida was asked to be a flower girl at a wedding and I wasn’t too happy about the dress they chose for her. So I turned to my mom who’s a seamstress for over 40 years to make her a beautiful flower girl dress. She turned MY WEDDING DRESS into a child size 7 flower girl dress and another after that. We were always getting compliments and that just gave me an idea to start making dresses. I was modeling on my daughter, taking photos and promoting at the time on “Facebook”. We started receiving orders from all over and it turned into a small business.
At the time there were no couture luxury dresses for girls. They were just simple plain dresses. So I wanted to create a brand for clients who appreciate the luxury world.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a business is tough. I think every company has it’s struggling. Finding a solution to a problem is the first step in building a successful business. First, you become aware that something went wrong and then you begin to figure out why. And having a great support system helps. I remember we started working from home five years ago. Our living room turned into a factory. There were sewing machines, fabric everywhere. I had a lil corner in my bedroom where I started making headbands. I had a small space but I managed to make it work. I would take photos in the other bedroom and promote it and post it on social media sites at the time. During the wedding season we get very busy, it was chaos in the house. A year later we rented a small studio next door and that also got small, again fabric everywhere and more sewing machines that take up a lot of space. We would sleep there sometimes because we had so much work that we would start at 6 am and go home at 10 pm. This was every day. I knew if we were expanding we needed more of a professional space. Luckily, we found a bigger office space it’s our official atelier located in Studio City where we see clients there daily, by appt only. As it’s a private showroom.
Please tell us about your business.
Isabella Couture is a luxury brand for children and women. We specialize in couture luxury dresses, handbags, accessories and more. I’m the Founder/CEO/Designer. I’m in charge of design/style/colors/picking out fabrics for future collections. I’m very proud of what the company has built and how far we’ve come. Isabella Couture has dressed many celebrities. Just recently we made a dress for the adorable Stormi, daughter of Kylie Jenner, as well as clients like Latoya Jackson, Zola Murphy, P. Diddy girls and so on. Isabella Couture also has its exclusive royal families. We’ve been part of many royal weddings. Their wedding is beyond stunning and massive. We make about 10-20 dresses per wedding. Also, we like to be involved as much as possible and be part of amazing foundations where we can help raise money for charity events put together.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Oh, I have so many amazing memories. Life was hard back in Armenia, but we managed to have a good childhood. When moving to the US at the age of 10. I was always into dolls and always playing dress up. I started making dresses for my dolls, actually playing with fabrics and making something out of it. And then I was making dresses for my self, more like skirts and tops. My family had a sewing company they would make everything from jeans to wedding dresses. I think that’s where I caught the fashion bug. Working alongside my mom taught me the value of hard work and having a passion for the work you do. Those moments in my childhood might seem small but they are memories you will always remember.
Contact Info:
- Address: 12500 Riverside Dr.
Suite 100-C
Studio City, CA 91607 - Website: www.IsabellaCoutureShop.com
- Phone: 424.264.6701
- Email: info@IsabellaCoutureShop.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabella_couture/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Isabellacoutureshop
Image Credit:
Chasing Pleasures
Olesja Muller
Suggest a story:VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
