Meet Elvia Lahman and Hannah Metz, founders of The Loved One. What began as a vintage wholesale business quickly blossomed into a popular online store and a series of pop-up shops in Los Angeles and New York. Priding themselves on their selection of quality vintage and American-made lingerie, the pair eventually settled into their own retail space in Pasadena. The Loved One now carries their own line of lingerie and a line of clothing reconstructed from vintage garments called Made by TLO.
To learn more about The Loved One, read on.
Tell us about yourselves!
We’re Elvia and Hannah and we have a Pasadena based shop that carries vintage apparel and independent designers including Family Affairs, Samantha Pleet & Alexandra Grecco in addition to our own collection of lingerie and a line of reconstructed vintage garments called Made by TLO.
How did you get started?
When we met, Elvia was director of the vintage department at American Apparel and I was her assistant! We fell in love after hours and hours of digging through rags and roadtrips out of state. When I moved to New York in 2009 we began wholesaling vintage in an effort to maintain the magic between us! Shortly after we moved our business online and then cooked up our first collection of vintage inspired lingerie in 2011!
What’s inspiring you right now?
Right now we’re building a vintage collection inspired by favourite paintings of ours! We can’t wait to reveal the complete collection this fall!
Any advice for those starting out in the handmade (or food or vintage, as applicable) industry?
Trust your own vision. It’s great to be aware of trends but even better to set them! Flexibility is also key; things won’t always go your way, but don’t let that discourage you.
If you like Elvia and Hannah’s gorgeous pieces, you’re going to love the BUST Craftacular in LA! We’ll be setting up shop at Mack Sennett Studios in LA’s Silver Lake ‘hood from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM next Saturday, June 21, 2014.
Stop by for 45+ makers, free DIY flower crowns and nail art, all-vinyl DJ sets, FREE custom-engraved charms from our friends at Brooklyn Charm, and more. We’re also giving away amaaaazing swag bags to the first 100 shoppers!
Plus, clean your closet for a cause: we’ll also be collecting gently worn clothing donations for LA’s Downtown Women’s Center–plus sizes are especially needed, but all sizes are welcome!
For more info, visit our site and follow #BUSTcraftacular on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
All photos courtesy of The Loved One.
