Karen Luu: From Pillows to Sleepwear
Karen Luu’s company, Karen Luu Exclusive Fashion Services, helped local clothing designers in San Francisco for over 15 years with full-package design, pattern-making, sample-making and production services. Luu’s dedication to her production business left little time to get her own clothing line off the ground.
“I tried to launch my own line for at least 10 years,” Luu said. “We just couldn’t do it. Every single season the production increased, and I just couldn’t focus on my own collection.”
In 2004, Luu finally took the time to launch her own line and tried something different—home accessories. The fresh perspective led her back to designing clothing and loungewear, focusing on the growth of her line.
“I wanted to have something new, fresh, easy,” said Luu of starting a home-accessory line. “Home for me is a kind of sanctuary. You work, and the end of the day you have something that’s beautiful, relaxing.”
Karen Luu Home Couture’s pillows are made from Japanese cotton, faux fur and down feather inserts. They retail from $90 to $125. She exhibited her Karen Luu Home Couture line at gift trade shows, and her customers were primarily high-end home-furnishings specialty boutiques.
That started to change when she introduced her two-sided “Minke” robe to coordinate with her pillows and blankets. The fluffy micro-fiber fabric has the feel of a breathable fur and is the signature fabric for her sleepwear and loungewear collection.
Luu’s ready-to-wear design expertise brought high-quality craftsmanship and fit to simple and understated sleepwear styles. Elegant chemises and pajama-pant sets in woven silk and linen target the sophisticated, business-professional customer. For Fall 2007, Luu launched a cotton lawn collection for petite sizes with details such as a tulle trim on the hem. Wholesale price points range from $85 to $158 for items in “Minke” fabric, $40 to $85 for items in cotton batiste, $55 to $180 for items in silk, and $40 to $140 for items in linen.
Kathy Rodarte, manager and buyer for Lulu’s in Manhattan Beach, Calif., has been carrying Luu’s robes for two years since she spotted them at the California Gift Show in Los Angeles. Many of her customers own more than one Karen Luu robe and come back to buy more as gifts.
“There are a lot of robes out there like that, [but] not with the same quality,” said Rodarte, who added that the warm fabric doesn’t loose its fluff after several washes. “They’re great because they’re not super-heavy. It’s almost like a down comforter.”
For more information, contact the Lois Evans Showroom in suite 503 of the Gerry Building at (213) 438-0358.
