Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucy Akin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lucy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I owned the store Shop Super Street and started making clothes as a hobby on the side – I had worked for a designer previously so I was familiar and trained in the process. I put samples on the floor at the shop and was so happily surprised when they all sold – without labels, care labels, they were bare bones!! So I knew I was onto something when my friend at Vogue called asking what the brand was – she’d never heard of it and wanted to find the designer to write a story.
I told her it was myself and she needed to give me a few months to put a full brand package together. So I put my nose to the grind and made my first collection, I flew off to Acapulco on Amex points with a model and photographer and we shot our first campaign. After that, it was history – the brand started to gain a lot of recognition and slowly became what it is today!
Has it been a smooth road?
I think retail in general has been faced with many challenges as of late. I’m thankful to where I’ve operated so small that I haven’t put myself in the way of risk too much. When COVID hit, I was able to keep my whole staff which was really important to me. We run so small that there wasn’t much of a change for us. I learned by having my first business – Shop Super Street – that you need to just keep overhead low, don’t take on investment too soon, and keep doing what you do best. The growth comes in its’ own time and capacity. I think we are trained to get ahead of ourselves and hit it out the park right off the bat.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ciao Lucia – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I think people have really taken a liking to our dresses – we make pretty classic, well-fitting dresses for women who want to look confident and sexy but not obviously the two. There’s an effortlessness and subtly to our pieces. Many of our customers tell me how great they feel in the clothes, which lights up my day!
I’m so proud of my little company – we make all of our goods in Los Angeles (aside from our new sweater category which is made ethically in Peru). I am best friends with all of our factories – they are like family to me. My two employees have been long time employees that I respect dearly. We operate on a human level which I am proud of.
I think what sets us apart is the fact that we are just mainly doing our own thing. Something may not work for us that works for another company, and I just always ask myself what can we do differently but better. If it doesn’t make sense for us, I have no problem not doing it – even if it’s historically the business standard.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
It’s taken me almost ten years to come to a point of loving Los Angeles but I do love living here. We’re so lucky with how many fantastic restaurants we have, cool different groups of creatives living here, and the spread of neighborhoods that you get to enjoy. I love how accessible nearby weekend trips are.
My favorite part about the city is the food though. I get homesick for it when I travel – the quality of ingredients we get is such a positive. I love being able to easily eat well here.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ciaolucia.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @ciao__lucia
Image Credit:
Olivia Lopez
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