Loulou de la Falaise

Fashion icon, Loulou de la Falaise is one of this years recipients of an Honorary Doctorate from the Academy of Art University School of Fashion in San Francisco, California, along with fashion designer Zac Posen and Robin Givhan, fashion editor of The Washington Post. About receiving her Honorary Doctorate, Loulou says: "It's an unexpected honor, a consecration of my career, which is not yet over!"

Loulou de la Falaise is among a rare breed of designers whose collections are made in France. She says: "it's obsolete to have a business in France, because people don't want to work and the manufacturers are among the most expensive in the world." It is her inner passion and love of art and culture that drives her to create beautiful designs for the fashion world. Her latest collection of jewelry, "Fantaisie", takes inspiration from the forces of nature in all their glory. She uses light and dark, delicate and strong, beautiful and earthy themes from nature to create one of a kind piece that look as if they came from the garden. Loulou is a master at using color to illuminate beauty; she strives to bring "sunshine" into life.

Loulou de la Falaise defines her style as, "slap, dash, and daring". She has an innate sense of style that projects a natural confidence and beauty. She does not believe you can impose style, she says: "you need to find what suits you and to feel confident in your choice." Loulou does not like total looks, as these have no sense of individuality. She believes to find your style you need to take a long look in the mirror and be honest with yourself about your best and worst features. This allows you to make style decisions based on your proportions. For the person in search of their style it is always best to start with dark colors and to bring color in with your accessories, she says: " I am like a style psychiatrist, when I meet someone I first get an aura, a feeling of who a person thinks they are, how they value themselves, and if their style matches who they are." Loulou is faithful to style not to fashion, she says: "do not follow fashion blindly, find your identity and let the fashion fit you, fashion is subtle and things change, be willing to experiment."

Loulou de la Falsaise does not take the role of fashion icon lightly, she sets styles she does not follow them. Loulou de la Falaise has two boutiques of her own in Paris and her collections are carried in boutiques and department stores in California, New York, Tokyo, Casablanca, Toronto, Hong Kong, Brussels, London, Berlin, Geneva, and Zurich.