Sasha Huang
- Nov 9, 2022

Ruffles & Frills: How LoveShackFancy's Rebecca Hessel Cohen Merges Vintage Flair With Femininity

INTERVIEW

LoveShackFancy is a pink paradisical force to be reckoned with. Inspired by vintage finds, the brand is helmed by former Cosmopolitan editor Rebecca Hessel Cohen who took on the belief that all fashion items can be timeless and everlasting, as long as you put good use to them – and oh, she has, taking dreamy silhouettes to new highs with all the flutter and frill you can imagine like something out of a fairytale.

Born and raised in Manhattan, the fashion entrepreneur went from selling dresses from the trunk of her car to now stocking in the world's most premium outlets from Farfetch and Net-a-Porter to Revolve and Bloomingdale's. It all started when she designed her own bridesmaids' dresses, drawing on the notion that they could be worn from "the beach to the ballroom", as she tells us.

Enchanting, whimsical, feminine, vintage, and romantic. The dazzling accessories, sculpting silhouettes, intricate detailing and luxurious floral style of LoveShackFancy is the perfect representation of Cohen herself.

Here, Cohen shares with us a little about her inspiring journey and how LoveShackFancy came to life:

1. What is the inspiration behind LoveShackFancy?

I never set out to start a fashion line, it actually began when I designed my bridesmaid dresses. I wanted a dress that looked good on everyone, from the beach to the ballroom and would be your best dancing partner. It was then that I realised there was a gap in the industry as bridesmaid dresses were a “one-time only” buy. So this became our first dress, The Love Dress! I always have had a passion for storytelling which led to my career in editorial, but I’ve since brought that storytelling passion with me in creating my own brand.

When it comes to the inspiration behind the name my mum actually gave me the idea. As collectors of vintage, we were going to start a prop-styling business online out of her house in Bridgehampton. My mum would style different houses and call them love shacks. We did a shoot with British Magazine and someone had said it’s love shack, but it’s love shack fancy and she loved that. When I was starting this brand I was thinking of a million names and nothing felt right except for LoveShackFancy.

I wanted a dress that looked good on everyone, from the beach to the ballroom and would be your best dancing partner.

2. What three tips would you give to other people starting their own fashion brand?

I would say to first figure out what it is you truly feel passionate about and build off that. Trust your gut and believe in yourself fully. There’s a lot of noise when starting a brand of all different people telling you what to do and what not to do and I think sticking to your vision and what you believe in is the key to success. Lastly, lean on your support system. When I was starting out, it was those people who loved me that really pushed me, and who never doubted my vision. They pushed me to see past all the obstacles and succeed.

3. What's something you've learned since you started LoveShackFancy?

Since starting LoveShackFancy, I’ve really learned so much. I think the biggest would be the power of community. During COVID we, against all odds, ended up opening a number of incredible stores and these stores gave our community the opportunity to come together. Our community is so passionate about LoveShackFancy and they’ve helped us build our brand to what it is today. We’re so grateful for that.

4. Do you have any exciting upcoming projects for LoveShackFancy that you would like to share with us?

We have so many exciting projects in the works! Our Larroudé shoe collaboration just dropped which has been such a dream come true. Next, we have our second winter apparel collaboration with Bogner dropping soon. And we’re also gearing up to open our first-ever international LoveShackFancy boutique in London. So a lot of major projects are happening and we can’t wait to share them with you all!

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All imagery is provided by LoveShackFancy.

Shop LoveShackFancy HERE.

Follow Rebecca Hessel Cohen on her captivating journey HERE.