Olivia Culpo Talks Her Design Debut for Le Tote

by Sydney Sadick

Style maven Olivia Culpo has an extensive fan following for a reason. Not only is she as bubbly and sweet as you could imagine, but her sartorial ways make her a force to be reckoned with. Now, the Rhode Island native has launched her very first ready-to-wear collection comprised of 10 must-haves in collaboration with Le Tote, a platform that allows you to select styles you love, wear everything for as long or as little as you want, purchase anything you want to keep, and then send the rest back. Here’s what the beauty has to say on her latest project. 

Tell us about the process of making your first ready-to-wear collection!
This was an interesting project for me for a lot of reasons. Le Tote already has a very specific consumer base—their model is really interesting because it allows women to explore different trends and get out of their comfort zone since they’re able to borrow and return freely. For me, I was excited to encourage that process and have girls hopefully find things that they wouldn’t otherwise think to pick out. That’s one of the big things that I love about fashion in general: thinking outside of the box, expressing yourself, and finding new ways to have fun with it. It was really exciting and unlike anything I had ever done before.

How have your fans been reacting?
They’re really sweet! A lot of fans who are international have been dying to get the clothes overseas but unfortunately, they are only sold in the U.S. as of now. But from all over the world, they have been so supportive!

Tell us about the collection.
I was inspired by the working girl. The clothes are wardrobe staples and are easy to put together. They can be paired at any time of the year and they’re something you can also kind of go back to when you’re stuck and don’t know what to wear and you need to make a quick fix that will hopefully still make you feel amazing. I was also inspired by designers who I look up to, from Dolce & Gabbana to Gucci. I’m a huge fan of florals so you’ll see a floral print in a pop of color as a stand-out piece.

Who in the fashion world inspires you most?
Victoria Beckham,  as an ultimate girl boss and chameleon. She’s done so much. She’s a mother and has such a huge fashion empire now. She’s selling in Target and her evolution in fashion and style in general blows my mind. Plus, she’s married to David Beckham.

True. What have you learned from working with so many brands?
There isn’t ever an experience where I don’t go away learning something—like how to market it and trying to find something that would sell.

Who did you go to for advice?
I have a lot of friends who are selling their own products via their own lines and collaborations like Danielle Bernstein, Cara Santana, and Arielle Charnas. I definitely learn a lot from them. It’s funny that they’re all my friends and we’re all pretty much the same age and have the same passion, but go about it in different way. Ultimately our goal is to sell and communicate with our fan base and give them what they want. A lot of people come to us for fashion advice so it’s so nice to be able to put it in a more tangible form.

Do you see yourself launching your own lifestyle brand?
That is such a huge goal! I keep a journal-diary, and I always look back at what I’ve set as goals. That’s something that I write down. Even just designing in general is something that I used to dream about. It’s so fun to be doing that now.

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