Madison McGaw/BFA/REX/ShutterstockLaura Kim and Fernando Garcia are the two halves that make up Monse.
With celebrity fans like Sarah Jessica Parker and Amal Clooney, it's pretty obvious the design duo are doing something (read: all things) right.
Inspired by women who "dare to express themselves and also appreciate the unexpected," Monse is a bold and feminine ready-to-wear line that hit the ground running the minute they launched.
After working at Oscar de la Renta (Kim for close to a decade and Garcia since 2009), they left to create something all their own—get to know the brand better and enjoy the below fun facts.
They're Social-Savvy: LinkedIn helped them land their very first collection for Monse at Net-a-Porter. Kim cold-messaged Sarah Rutson, Net-a-Porter's vice president of global buying over the networking site. The duo sent Rutson an elevator pitch on the label, and she responded with feedback and suggestions on how to price the collection.
They Hit Pre-Mature Fame: The label's celeb following began even before the pair's first show at NYFW. Both Sarah Jessica Parker and Amal Clooney were spotted wearing their shirt-inspired dresses, they also worked on Clooney's wedding dress and SJP's continued support dates most recently to her Hamilton-inspired Monse outfit at this year's Met Gala.
They're Actually a Couple: Kim told WWD shortly after they launched Monse last year that a wedding would have to wait. "I think I spent all of my budget on this show."
They Have a Healthy Celeb Following: Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Kerry Washington, Jessica Chastain and Lupita Nyong'o are a few who have worn the brand. Not to mention, after Brie Larson won the Academy Award for best actress this year, she turned up at Vanity Fair's Oscar party in a pink velvet column dress by Monse.
They're Multi-Taskers: The duo are also the next creative directors of Oscar de la Renta. Kim worked with Mr. de la Renta for more than a decade as his design director and Garcia as senior designer for a good chunk of time as well. It's safe to say the line will be in great, familiar hands.
Don't forget to catch the Monse show today!