Virginie Monroe Competitors

Monique Lhuillier is internationally recognized as one of America’s foremost couture fashion brands. Established in 1996 by Monique Lhuillier and her husband, Tom Bugbee, the Company is considered one of the leading fashion houses and continues to produce its couture ready to wear and bridal collections in the United States in its Los Angeles headquarters. Monique Lhuillier’s signature design sensibility has led to the launch of licensed products, transforming the company into a luxury lifestyle brand. Brand extensions and licensed products include: shoes, hand bags, tabletop with Waterford, fine jewelry at Blue Nile, bridesmaids dresses, stationery, home fragrance and ML Monique Lhuillier, a diffusion eveningwear collection. Monique Lhuillier products are distributed through Monique Lhuillier stores, premium department stores, and specialty stores throughout the world, including the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia.

J. Mendel, a fifth-generation French atelier, has evolved into a global luxury fashion house under the auspices of creative director Gilles Mendel. Founded in St. Petersburg in the 1870s as furriers to the Russian aristocracy, the house of J. Mendel relocated to Paris’s famed rue Saint-Honoré following the Russian Revolution. Gilles Mendel took the helm as designer and CEO in 1981, having apprenticed in his family’s Paris atelier under his father, Jacques. Committed to taking his ancestors’ legacy of exceptional quality, savoir faire and uncompromising luxury to a broader stage, Gilles opened his first J. Mendel Boutique at Elizabeth Arden’s Fifth Avenue Salon in New York City. Quickly attracting a devoted clientele, he relocated his collections to a free-standing J. Mendel boutique at 723 Madison Avenue, an uptown landmark since it opened its doors in 1985. In October, 2013, the company expanded to a larger flagship boutique located at 787 Madison Avenue. Known for combining the highest quality materials and impeccable craftsmanship with a modern, award-winning design sensibility, Gilles Mendel evolved the company from a luxury fur atelier to a fully-fledged fashion house with the launch of ready-to-wear in 2002. Setting J. Mendel apart from other U.S. based brands, the company maintains two ateliers in the heart of New York City, where the fur, ready-to-wear, bridal and couture creations are produced. More recently, Gilles Mendel introduced J. Mendel accessories, handbags, and home furnishings. In recognition of his achievements in women’s fashion, Mendel was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2003, and received the prestigious Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in 2011. Gilles Mendel’s signature luxe-femininity and effortless elegance has made the house of J. Mendel a red-carpet favorite among international royalty and Hollywood stars alike. His collections are carried at the finest stores across the globe.

British born Georgina and Keren met at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. Georgina, a 2001 graduate of the Wimbledon School of Art, began her career as a costume designer. Keren graduated from Brighton Art College in 2000 and subsequently focused on print and embroidery design. Georgina’s draping and design expertise paired with Keren’s textile creations resulted in a business partnership and the establishment of Marchesa in 2004. Elegant eveningwear, inspired by vintage and Asian influences, defines the Marchesa Collection. The beautifully crafted designs fuse high fashion with an eclectic aesthetic. Co-founded by Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, the company’s namesake and muse, Marchesa Luisa Casati, is the noted eccentric European style icon. Based in New York, the Marchesa collection is presently available in Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman in the United States, Harrods in London, and specialty boutiques such as Holt Renfrew in Canada, Podium in Russia, Alothman in Kuwait, Boutique1 in Dubai, and Joyce and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.