We've just received these four stunning pieces by Analili, and our costumers are thrilled! Once Grace picked up this line, we couldn't get enough. The pieces have been selling out like crazy, and with the unique color combinations, eye catching prints, and super flattering cuts, it's no secret as to why. Want to know more about the brains behind the line? Read on:
Lili del Cueto's quest to enter the fashion industry began early in her formative teenage years. Living in sunny South Florida, where showing off the latest trends is a "must", lili often negotiated endlessly with her parents to buy her latest fashion pieces. Not always being able to meet her wishes, her parents decided to take advantage of her fashion interest and chose to strike a deal with their young & persistent daughter - in the hopes of channeling her endless energy. They agreed to buy her whatever fabrics she wanted, but in turn she would have to design and construct the pieces herself. While mightily challenged at first, lili compensated her initial shortcomings with instinctive creativity and youthful perseverance. It was not too long before lili's efforts paid off and she was able to work the skillful nuances of fit and color combinations. By the age of 22, she graduated with a degree in Fashion Merchandising and to this day, credits her parent's challenge as the overriding reason for her success in this very beautiful but demanding industry.
Soon after graduating, lili married her husband and soon enough found herself very pregnant – with nothing fashionable to wear. This dilemma prompted lili, with the advice and encouragement of her husband, to set the foundation for her first business venture, Olian Maternity. At first, these were difficult times, but Lili fondly remembers how she literally started cutting her first designs on the floor of her parent's home. A lot has happened since, and today, 19 years later, Olian ranks among the top privately owned maternity fashion houses in the industry -- serving well over 500 upscale boutiques and large department stores nationally and internationally. Her overriding challenge to her now team of designers, is to offer designs of the highest quality and fit, while always keeping firmly in touch with what is going on in wearable fashion circles. lili truly believes that there is no reason for any of her maternity pieces to have an expiration date after 9 months – if you truly focus on fashion!
lili openly admits that she draws much of her inspirations from her passion to shop. She jokingly tells her husband that when she goes shopping on weekends she is always hard at work! While he finds her excuse skeptically amusing, lili insists that this is one of the most effective ways designers can get in touch with what is actually happening in fashion. She explains that while subscribing to the latest forecasting publications for styles, colors and fabrics is useful, they do not offer the same feel-good insight she actually gets when she hits the crowded malls and sees first hand what customers are wearing. Miami, she adds, "is definitively a great place to witness and develop your fashion cues – its people are beautiful and very fashion forward. It is easy to dream-up beautiful silhouettes in any combination of colors by just watching people walk through malls … I love my job".
lili's most recent challenge, was the launching of her new young contemporary regular-wear line called analili (her name spelled backwards). It successfully debuted in the fall of 2008 and in a very short time, has attracted an ever increasing following of upscale contemporary boutiques throughout the US. Lili explains that the success of her new venture, has not only permitted her to maximize the potential of her existing infrastructure, but allowed her to challenge the creative strengths of her design teams, to come up with new and original styles & prints – to achieve the "WOW … I want this piece!" reaction from her customers. lili credits the dedication and drive of her key employees, for her success. "We work, struggle and joke around as a team – and because of this, everyone is committed to achieving every challenge thrown our way. I feel very fortunate!" explains lili.
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