Accessories Designer Spotlights Clothes
Michelle Roy opened her first boutique at 221 N. Robertson Blvd. in Los Angeles last month. The 1,000-square-foot store shines a spotlight on the accessory designer’s special relationship with apparel.
Many apparel designers launch an accessories collection to complement their latest fashions. Roy has made T-shirts and fleece to put additional sizzle into her self-named label of jewelry and hair clips.
The inspiration for the store came from her monthly appliqueacute; bar at her former showroom, now the site of her store. Women would drop by the showroom with T-shirts, sweaters or jeans in hand. Then, they’d take some of Roy’s beads and jewels and create their own designs on their clothes. Roy said the appliqueacute; bar created walkin traffic, an additional revenue source to her online retail store, www.michelleroydesigns.com.
Roy’s wholesale business started in 2002, her showroom and Web site in 2005. Her accessories have been sold at such boutiques as Lisa Kline and Intuition. Her accessories palette ranges from Vegas showgirl costume details to turquoise beads to clovers dipped in 24-karat gold. When the beads go on T-shirts or fleece, they’re often arranged in the shapes of flowers or angel wings.
Retail price points range from $60 to $120 for T-shirts. Jewelry retails from $36 for a ring to $900 for one-of-a-kind pieces. Hair accessories range from $20 to $58. —Andrew Asch
