FAQ’s
Update:
As of May 2022 Leanne officially quit the bridal industry after nearly 12 years. As much as we have loved serving brides (it was a pleasure working with so many of our incredible clients), ultimately Leanne always felt bit of a misfit in the bridal industry of outdated traditions and its lack of sustainability.
Some of our remaining inventory of bridal gowns and samples are available through the stockists here. These are the last of the ready-made bridal gowns we will have for sale. When they are gone, they are gone for good!
We are always welcoming custom/bespoke orders, which are only made using reccyled/remanant pieces and made with the most stringent of sustainable practices. They may be submitted here.
Is Your Line AVAILABLE TO SEE IN PERSON?
Please view locations here. for remaining inventory.
We currently only hold limited appointments for custom design consultations. Those can be booked through the custom page link.
WHERE ARE YOUR pieces MADE?
Our line is produced in the USA (New York area) mostly on a made to order basis. We currently produce 70% in our own facility, and work with local NY factories to assist us with production of everything else. All seamstresses that create our garments are paid a fair living wage for our area (NYC). This is why our garments tend to be on the higher end, as opposed to mass production.
WHAT MATERIALS ARE YOUR Pieces MADE OF?
**Currently, we are only producing with leftover production excess & deadstock material remnants (mostly silks). Our gowns are typically composed of about 95% silk and other natural, sustainable textiles (linen, cupro, tencel, organic cotton) . Since 2019 we stopped using and purchasing laces or any synthetics. If a gown contains lace/synthetics, they are sourced from old-batch/deadstock only. We source all of our raw materials from reputable mills that meet environmental and working standard regulations. You will find a description of each gown’s materials under it’s product description in our Shop section.
WHAT SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES DOES LM USE?
Our pieces are produced one at a time by fairly paid seamstresses in the US. Creating made-to-order items reduces over-production, surplus inventory, and waste compared to mass production.
We have stopped producing full collections seasonally to eliminate excessive sampling and waste. Only the bare minimum of new work gets created and the samples (if not sold) get fully recycled into new pieces.
We carefully source the materials of our gowns to use exclusively natural and sustainable textiles that meet several certification criteria. We do not use polyester in our pieces, instead favoring natural, biodegradable textiles. Polyester takes anywhere from 20-200 years to decompose, whereas silks and natural fibers can decompose in as little as 10 months when recycled properly (this does NOT mean your gown will decompose after 10 months. It will last for decades if stored properly and isn’t recycled to specifically break down the fibers).
We operate in a circular model by using any unsold samples or leftovers to recreate new pieces. We regularly use scraps and remnants to create one-off and limited edition pieces to use up as much of our leftover materials as possible. We have many zero waste styles and pieces that are composed of materials that most manufacturers would discard due to minor irregularities in the weave, etc. They are available for sale on our website.
Any remaining small pieces of scrap, trimmings, and textile waste (not re-used) get responsibly recycled by an organization called FABSCRAP. Read more about them here.
DO YOU EVER HAVE SALES/DISCOUNTS?
You can sign up to be notified of future sample sales and discounts here
More Info about the Brand / Leanne’s Bio:
Leanne Marshall was born in Yuba City, California as a dreamer of dresses. When most little girls were playing house, Leanne was playing fashion designer with a sketchbook, colored pencils, and spare bits of fabric. In no time at all with the help of a local seamstress, she began bringing her sketches to life. By age 12, her designs were being shown to the public in the form of costumes for her ballet and dance performances. Her natural gift for sketching and design, combined with the thrill she felt at creating costumes for performance, inspired her to pursue a career as a fashion designer.
At age 18, Leanne won the Levi's Dockers Scholarship at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco where she went on to study and graduate. After graduation, Leanne relocated to Portland, Oregon where she developed and launched her first line (previously named Leanimal).
In 2008, what would become a career defining year, Leanne was selected as a contestant for Season 5 of Project Runway. With an unwavering determination, she made it all the way to the finale where she showed her, now famous, wave inspired collection in shades of turquoise, ivory, and sand. The judges and worldwide audiences were captivated by her final collection and Leanne was crowned the winner.
Fresh after her Project Runway win, Leanne relocated to New York City where she continued to develop her line. Her ready to wear collections have shown at New York Fashion Week and fashion weeks around the globe every year since 2008. Leanne has designed clothing for television, editorial, performance and her favorite client, the real woman. Her work has been seen on countless celebrities including Julianne Hough, Paula Abdul, Arianna Grande, Solange, Jane Fonda, Laverne Cox, Dascha Polanco, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jackie Cruz, and many more. Her dresses and gowns have graced the pages of The New York Times, People, Elle, LIFE, National Geographic, Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides, US Weekly, The Post, TV Guide, Lucky, and countless others. She is proud to have designed high fashion patterns for Simplicity Pattern Company.
After years of designing custom bridal gowns, Leanne officially launched her signature bridal line in 2011. She was known as a trend-setter for her unique usage of colors, prints and ethereal, flowing designs. Earlier in 2022, Leanne decided to leave the bridal industry due to personal values and the fact that weddings are wasteful and a bridal line could never be as sustainable as she desired. An industry that is traditionally focused on perfectionism, white dresses and generally outdated, toxic traditions was just not the right fit for her.
Leanne believes more people deserve to feel beautiful and amazing in her creations and that this feeling shouldn’t be limited to brides only. She will continue to create ethereal, sustainable and versatile pieces in her collections to come. Stay Tuned!