Five Questions for Lucky Brand’s Kin Ying Lee

Eight months after moving to Los Angeles from Brooklyn to take the creative reins at Lucky Brand, Kin Ying Lee is growing smitten with the California lifestyle. One has to look no further than her office nestled in the modern adaptation of Mission-style architecture that serves as the company’s headquarters. In her white-walled nook overlooking the railroad tracks that parallel the parched Los Angeles River, she clusters little pots of succulents next to stacks of fashion magazines, a hefty tome from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s recent samurai exhibit and a copy of “Conscious Capitalism,” the business book cowritten by Whole Foods cofounder John Mackey to teach the next generation of entrepreneurs how to combine purpose with profit. Her own personal style belies a flair for mixing her grandmother’s gold chain and silver bar bracelets with a curved brass cuff from Lucky and tossing a vintage indigo scarf over jeans. Having launched J. Crew Group’s Madewell and worked there as the head designer for nearly eight years, she also has a knack for injecting coolness into affordable basics. She faces a similar, if not more weighty, task at Lucky, which was founded 25 years ago and is now owned by

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More...