Exploring Life & Business with Elizabeth Faraut of LA LOOP

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Faraut.

Hi Elizabeth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
LA LOOP started with a simple, very real problem: I kept losing my glasses.

Back in 1999, juggling work, travel, and motherhood, I wanted something that looked like a beautiful necklace but functioned like a smart tool to keep my eyewear close at hand. When I couldn’t find it, I designed it. That’s how LA LOOP – the original “eyewear necklace” – was born, and we’ve been in business ever since.

Today, LA LOOP is a Los Angeles–based brand with a global footprint. From our home in LA, we sell to boutiques and optical shops throughout Los Angeles County, across the U.S., and in stores around the world.

I’m a fifth-generation Angeleno, and my story has always lived at the intersection of fashion, function, and culture. Growing up between Los Angeles and Europe, and later working in fashion and luxury, I saw how powerful a single, well-designed accessory could be. But I didn’t just want something pretty – I wanted to solve an everyday frustration in a way that felt elevated, not utilitarian.

That led to our key innovation: a patented loop and hinge that allows the necklace to move with your body while keeping your glasses secure and facing forward. It’s a small piece of engineering that changed how people wear and experience their eyewear.

Building LA LOOP meant creating an entirely new category. In the early days, I walked into stores and simply put the product on so people could see and feel the difference. Over time, we grew from a single idea to a recognized brand, always grounded in craftsmanship – high-quality leathers, considered metalwork, and pieces designed to last.

Being based in Los Angeles is core to who we are. The city’s creative energy, diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit shape our design, our collaborations, and the community around the brand. As LA LOOP has grown, I’ve also become deeply committed to using the business as a platform for impact, especially through work with organizations supporting women and families in Los Angeles.

After more than two decades, my “why” is still the same: to create pieces that are as functional as they are beautiful, that make people’s lives a little easier and a little more stylish – from Los Angeles to wherever in the world they LOOP their glasses.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road – more like a series of chapters, each with its own lessons.

In the early chapter of LA LOOP, the biggest hurdle was simply convincing people that what we were doing should exist. We weren’t just launching a product; we were creating a new category. There was no “eyewear necklace” section in stores. I spent years walking into boutiques and optical shops, explaining the concept, wearing the product, and asking buyers to take a chance on something unfamiliar. It was humbling, and it took a lot of resilience to keep going when the easy answer for people was “no.”

The next chapter was about scale and operations. As we grew, we moved more production overseas, which brought its own set of challenges. Tariffs, currency swings, and geopolitical changes aren’t just headlines for a small business – they directly hit your margins and timelines. We’ve had shipments delayed, costs increase overnight, and moments where we’ve had to re-think where and how we manufacture. Those experiences forced me to get very close to our supply chain, to diversify partners, and to build in flexibility where I used to assume stability.

Funding has been another defining hurdle – and a conscious choice. I currently own 100% of the business, which I’m proud of, but it also means growth has to be funded the old-fashioned way: through revenue, discipline, and patience. There were times when taking outside money would have been the faster, shinier path, but it would have come at the expense of control over the brand, our values, and our pace. Bootstrapping meant saying “not yet” to certain opportunities, and that can be painful when you’re ambitious and see possibility everywhere.

A quieter but very real hurdle has been learning to say no when I want to say yes. As a founder, especially a creative one, it’s easy to fall in love with every collaboration idea, product extension, or new market. But every “yes” costs time, money, and focus. I’ve had to train myself to protect the core of LA LOOP – what we do best and what our community counts on us for – even when exciting opportunities knock.

All of this has reinforced how crucial it is to stay nimble. The businesses that make it aren’t necessarily the biggest; they’re the ones that adapt. For LA LOOP, that’s meant evolving our product line while staying true to our DNA, rethinking distribution channels, and constantly listening to what our customers actually need now, not five years ago. Being a fifth-generation Angeleno, I see the same spirit in Los Angeles itself – the ability to reinvent, to pivot, and to keep moving forward.

So no, it hasn’t been smooth. But every hurdle has sharpened our vision, strengthened the brand, and reminded me why I started LA LOOP in the first place.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
LA LOOP is a jewelry brand with a very specific purpose: we make beautifully designed “eyewear necklaces” that keep your glasses close at hand, so you never have to ask, “Where did I put my glasses?” again. We’re based in Los Angeles, and our pieces are sold in boutiques and optical shops throughout Los Angeles County, across the country, and around the world.

We specialize in that intersection of fashion and function. Our signature is a patented loop and hinge that allows your necklace to move with you while your glasses stay secure and facing forward. It looks like a piece of jewelry first – Italian leathers, hand-finished metals, and thoughtfully sourced materials – but it works like a smart organizing tool for your day. That engineering plus the level of craftsmanship is what we’re known for.

What sets us apart is how focused we are on doing one thing exceptionally well. We didn’t start as a giant accessories line and then add a glasses chain; we created the eyewear necklace category and have spent years refining it. We stay small, nimble, and close to our customers, which means we can adapt quickly, collaborate meaningfully, and keep our quality standards incredibly high.

Brand-wise, I’m most proud that LA LOOP has a real soul. As a fifth-generation Angeleno, it matters to me that the brand reflects the best of Los Angeles – creativity, grit, openness, and community. That’s why we created LOOPin, our social good arm, which supports nonprofits and organizations doing work we believe in, especially for women and families in LA. LOOPin allows us to turn the success of the brand into concrete support: funding, visibility, and partnership for people on the front lines of change. It’s fashion, but with a conscience and a clear give-back built in.

What I want your readers to know is this: LA LOOP isn’t a trend item; it’s something you use every day and grow attached to. Our offerings range from clean, minimalist leather pieces to bolder, more expressive designs, but the promise is always the same – thoughtful design that makes your life a little easier and a little more beautiful. Whether you’re wearing readers, sunglasses, there’s a LOOP that will fit into your style, keep what you need close, and connect you to a brand that believes business can and should do good.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I genuinely love what I do. After all these years, that love hasn’t faded — if anything, it’s grown. And it’s not just because of the product; it’s because of the people around it.

I get my energy from the incredible community that touches LA LOOP: the stores and buyers who believe in the brand and tell our story every day, the artisans and partners who make our pieces with such care, and the people who wear LA LOOP and then stop me to say, “I can’t live without this.” That ecosystem keeps me inspired and grounded.

LA LOOP has this infectious quality — once people start using it, they get it, and they want to share it with others. That sense of connection and enthusiasm is what keeps me excited to keep creating, keep evolving, and keep LOOPing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laloop.com
• Instagram: @laloop_official