Fashion brand La Ligne marked its 10th anniversary with the Perfect 10 collection, featuring updated versions of core wardrobe staples. Co-founders Meredith Melling, Valerie Macaulay, and Molly Howard reflected on a decade of building the independent label amid shifting trends. The campaign stars Connie Britton and highlights items like a relaxed-fit suit and a robe inspired by The Big Lebowski.
La Ligne launched in 2016, founded by former Vogue editors Meredith Melling and Valerie Macaulay alongside Molly Howard, previously head of business development at Rag & Bone. The brand aimed to create a modern uniform for busy, stylish women, countering the fast trend cycles accelerated by social media at the time. As Melling noted, it stemmed from observing chic Vogue colleagues in simple Breton T-shirts or men's shirts rather than chasing every runway look every season. The trio opened their first store in New York City in 2019, a milestone after the direct-to-consumer boom of 2016 made physical retail seem outdated. Howard described early days as 'all-hands-on-deck,' emphasizing unglamorous operations behind the brand's success. Seeing customers wear La Ligne pieces on the street remains a highlight, with the team sharing photos in a dedicated Slack channel. Macaulay said the brand's core customer has evolved alongside them, shifting from single social lives to busy motherhood, influencing designs like favoring flats over heels while maintaining style. An early bandage skirt attempt flopped, teaching them to stick to authenticity—'Sex sells! ... and…crickets,' Macaulay recalled. Looking ahead, Howard outlined plans for denim expansion, new categories like home goods, more U.S. stores, and international growth.
