Laurenceleste was formed by two friends, Lauren Murphy and Celeste Bayer. Born from this simple question in 1994, “Hey Lauren, do you know how to sew?” the company found its humble beginnings in a small San Francisco apartment. It turned out that both Lauren and Celeste could sew very well. Now with almost 10 years experience working together and relocating to Chicago, Laurenceleste is now sold in over 200 boutiques across the US, England, and Japan. They no longer sew each individual piece themselves, but are committed to supporting local tradesmen and women. All items are made by careful hands in Chicago. While division of labor is key to their success (Lauren takes care of sales and day to day operations; Celeste, a graduate of the Fashion Institue of Technology, focuses on design and fabric selection) the pair find the most fun in creating and presenting a new collection each season to their customers.