Born in 1971 in Cebu City, Philippines, Monique Lhuillier is a Filipina Fashion designer based in the United States. She was born to Michel Lhuillier and Amparito Llamas, a Filipina society figure and former model of Spanish-Cebuana descent. Their family owns a popular chain of pawnshop in more than a hundred cities in the Philippines.
It was her mother’s glamorous sense of style and the constant travelling around the world that sparked interest in her pursuing a career in fashion. She was an outstanding student in Switzerland and hoped to excel in the fashion industry so her parents sent her to the FIDM and met her future husband, Tom Bugbee. They opened their own company in 1996 and launched their first briday collection which was well received by fashion-savvy brides, editors, and celebrities.
When Monique finally graduated and looked for a job, she realized that there were not so much quality couture companies in the LA metro. Unwilling to leave for New York, Monique took a design position at a French company that specialized in better evening wear separates.
Shortly after her engagement, Monique decided to take some time off and plan the wedding. During her dress search, her focus on the wedding business was reborn. She was determined to be part of it and make it better.
The breakthrough came after Monique designed the gowns for her wedding entourage. These captured the fancy of couture circles. Having had a difficult time finding her own gown, Monique, 23 at that time, decided to begin sketching her own line of dresses. And it was then when her husband figured it was more than just a hobby.
Making a name for herself, Monique had designed gowns for celebrities like Sarah Gore, Heidi Montag, and Britney Spears. One of her gowns was worn by Hilary Duff in A Cinderella Story.
Monique received the 2001 Glamorous bridal designer award, the 2002 Avant Garde bridal designer award, and the 2003 designer of the year award from wedding dresses magazine and the bridal industry members. In 2003 she was also inducted as a new member of the Council of Fashion Designers in America.
Subsequently, Monique added evening wear to her line, and several of her efforts showed up on red carpets before awards shows. For the fall 2007 season she branched off into more typical runway collections.
On February 2nd of the 2007 Fashion Week Spring Collection at the New York fashion week, she introduced mostly sophisticated and fluid looks.
-CA
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