Lana Fuchs' Billion Dollar Transformation
The last time West Coast buyers and media saw designer Lana Fuchs was on the runway during last year’s final Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios, where she showed flowery spring dresses. The Russian-born designer has since taken a detour.
Somewhere along the way to the country club, she took a side street to create Billionaire Mafia, which is quite geometrically opposed to her couture collection.
Billionaire Mafia is about loud, in-your-face graphic tees, hoodies, bottoms and track suits that have caught on with the Hip-Hop artists and the club crowd. Lana Fuchs Couture is about hand work, natural embellishments—inspired by costumes of Imperialist Russia.
Fuchs has an explanation for her Jekyll and Hyde designs. The designer lives in Las Vegas but grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y., where she was influenced by street culture as well as her family, all self-made entrepreneurs, hence the Billionaire Mafia moniker.
Now, she’s living the best of both worlds. Billionaire, which launched last year at MAGIC’s S.L.A.T.E. show, is now in 300 retail doors. The line was recentlyfeatured on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" as well as at the Hip Hop International Championships in Las Vegas, where Billionaire's art director Mark Pagaduan said the brand was very visible.
“Billionaire Mafia instantly became a hit . Performing crews and dancers, judges, hosts and everyone else who loves dance were seen wearing it,” he said.
The company is also running a “Treasure Hunt” promotion Sept. 4-6, awarding $50,000 to the winner. Participants must first obtain a free T-shirt. Details are available at billionairemafia.com. The company will again be at the S.L.A.T.E. show in booth SL8-21236 later this month and is planning a Sept. 1 party featuring Busta Rhymes.
Meanwhile, Lana Fuchs Couture will be featured at Removing the Mask, a red carpet charity event hosted by PAVE (Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment) on Sept. 17 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. More information regarding this event can be found at www.PavingTheWay.net. To see the latest from the couture line visit lanafuchs.com.
Billionaire Mafia by Lana Fuchs
Lana Fuchs Couture
