LILA Fashion International opens Manayunk storefront
Sisters open physical location after launching online apparel, home products brand
MANAYUNK >> LILA Fashion International opened its doors at 4386 Main St. June 24, adding another boutique to Manayunk’s collection.
Laura Anne Lamprou described the process as a “whirlwind” experience as they opened just before the start of the Manayunk Arts Festival.
Sisters Laura Anne and Lisa Lamprou launched their brand, first as an online store in 2015, but it has now evolved to a physical location.
Laura Anne said she sees the store’s potential new customers as being “interested in trying something new” and “dressing for no occasion at all.”
The name LILA Fashion International has a two-part meaning “to give people an idea of what [the] brand was,” Laura Anne
said. She said the first part, LILA, is a “combination of [Lisa and Laura Anne’s] names,” while the second portion gives a better understanding of the brand as larger entity, selling both apparel and home products.
The sisters drew from their Greek heritage and cultural upbringing when finding international designers and eclectic pieces to fill their store.
Laura Anne said she and her sister developed a “wanderlust” mentality as they grew up abroad and traveled the world.
“Once you get the [travel] bug, you miss it when you don’t do it as frequently,” Laura Anne said.
She explained how LILA Fashion International’s contents are exclusively “international,” using designers from places all over the world such as Greece, Cyprus, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Laura Anne said both herself and her sister have enjoyed clothing and finding the latest styles. She added how they are pursuing their dreams.
“Being that we’re both incredibly passionate about this, this is why we started [LILA Fashion International] to begin with, and being able to do what we love everyday, that’s what’s rewarding about it,” Laura Anne said.
Despite the difficulties of running a business, the sisters have found something they love.
“It doesn’t feel like work; it feels like play everyday,” Laura Anne said.
Laura Anne said LILA Fashion International’s tag line is, “shop international, no jet required.”
“We wanted people to feel like they could experience and appreciate and bring home a piece of the world without having to leave the country, or without needing a passport or anything like that, and that’s kind of how the concept came about,” Laura Anne said.
When searching for the perfect location, Laura Anne said Manayunk — and the Philadelphia area— was the ideal fit for their new store.
“We’d been looking at different locations on the Main Line, but we thought that this would be a lot more suitable for us just because of the types of people who live there,” Laura Anne said. “Like I said, they’re very creative and very artsy, and there’s something very unique and distinct about Manayunk that I don’t think you can find elsewhere.”
As a new business in Manayunk, Laura Anne said she hopes for good things to come with LILA Fashion International. She added how she would like to “grow [their] business” and find more “international designers.”
She stressed the need for a smooth customer experience when progressing from web to storefront, and she said she was pleasantly surprised with the beneficial feedback.
“We wanted it to look and feel like the website and really be integrated, and it turned out so well,” Laura Anne said. “This is exactly what we had hoped for.”
For more information about LILA Fashion International, check out lilafashioninternational.com.