Finding the Soft in our Strong
The Vision and Inspiration of Anna Lecat
Serial Entrepreneur and The Queen of Why
Founding CEO of Les Lunes| Mother | 40 years old
Natural curiosity drives Anna Lecat. She has an insatiable thirst for the breadth that life has to offer. She asks a lot of questions, her desire to know the how and why of everything and everyone she meets is as passionate as it is endless. It is an energy that bubbles out of her, sometimes in a laugh, or perhaps in a dance across the room; it might even shine back at you in her piercing grey eyes. She is especially interested in the stories of people that face their lives with a dash of moxie. “I am inspired by people with an enthusiasm and zest for life. I have a deep respect for people that are not only living their lives fully, but also take the time to encourage others to reach their full potential. I am motivated by strong women that don’t take no for an answer and are willing to risk everything in pursing a path or product they believe in. These are characteristics I cultivate in my own life and I am honored to be able to call many of these like-minded women friends.” She is always asking herself:
“How can I help these amazing people to feel comfortable and confident as they move through the day?”
She sits across from me, her gaze direct, with the regal comportment of a queen. There is no condescension in her eyes, no presupposition of superiority, simply an intense expectation. What she expects of me, indeed of us all, is to conduct ourselves as kings and queens, with all the virtue and poise that such a station demands. Her attention is drawn to the presence of passion in a person, for their work and for their life. She has a knack for bringing this caliber of people together, coaxing out hidden dreams and talents. She is a natural leader; people want to please her and in return she wants to support them. Anna is building a community; she is creating a space both virtual and physical where people can come together to support and celebrate one another. There is a need for a new forum, one where the men and women who work together can strengthen their team work skills. Anna spearheads this effort, creating a professional climate that encourages growth while always keeping a weather eye on the enrichment of our future.
She calls her home the Tree House, perched on a hillside among the towering redwood trees, and this is where I get to hear her story. The edifice is an impressive series of windows and steep staircases. In her constant quest to “…balance doing and being”, Anna hikes the steep hillsides surrounding her house everyday with her dog, a great furry beast of equally regal stature. She gains strength and inspiration from nature, and it still baffles her that she was able to work in Shanghai for so many years, away from the forests she loves. She doesn’t multi-task; whatever she is doing it commands her full attention. Whether it is an interview, or losing herself in the rhythm of the Tango, she is always focused on the moment she is in. I believe this is a rare gift in a woman.
“China shaped me.” She tells me.
Anna moved to Shanghai when she was 18 years old. “I learned how to run a company very young. How to stay focused on the end goal, and that in business the most important thing is your authenticity.” Respect and relationships are very important in Chinese culture. She doesn’t think that the West understands China. “Everyone is hungry for success in China.” They remember what physical hunger “…true hunger is and they want to improve life for themselves and their families.” Many people in the United States have an unfavorable vision of the factories in China and while those exist, there are exceptions to every rule and Anna is a part of this one. “The people need work, and a lot of big business is taking advantage of them.” Anna and her creative team work in partnership with talented seamstresses at their privately owned workshop in Shanghai. She is giving back to the people by building a healthy work environment and providing a higher than average wage that enables the women to care for their families and the community. “It is not the people that are at fault; it is large companies, many of which are based in the U.S., that are taking advantage of their need.”
Anna created Les Lunes out of her own need to have effortlessly elegant clothing that would be comfortable while transitioning through her hectic day. She loved the refined wardrobes of Paris, but the fabrics were uncomfortable and restricting. She loved the comfort and durability of jersey but was not enamored with the frumpy styles the fabric was used for, and she wanted something that was close to nature. When she discovered that cloth was being spun from bamboo she knew she had found her raw resource. There is a lot of poetry in using bamboo; in both Japanese and Chinese culture the bamboo plant is used as a metaphor for life. It is a noble grass that grows without the need of tending; when it is cut down it returns stronger than before and is able to withstand storms, bending where other trees break. She spent two years working with teams to develop the best bamboo fabric for a luxury slow fashion line. Anna is a self-proclaimed control freak and she isn’t happy unless she can see a business through from beginning (the raw materials) to end (happy customers on the street). In China they call this taming the dragon, controlling everything from head to tail.
The Les Lunes clothing line is her way of supporting women that share her ideals. She is encouraging us to unite our femininity with our drive for success by helping us
“…find our softness in our strength.”
As women we no longer need to follow the “Hear me Roar” campaign. We have roared and the world has listened. Now is the time to embrace all of our assets, the soft and the strong. Women are adaptable, like the bamboo they bend where a man is rigid; it is “…this independent strength for herself and others” that Anna finds compelling.
The sexiest woman is one “…who is gracious and loving in support of her husband and her family while remaining true to herself and her dreams.” These are the women Anna Lecat is supporting, and soon, with the debut of her new L.L. line she will be supporting the men these women love.
Les Lunes Stories of Inspiring People.
Written by Tobe Sheldon, The Voice of Les Lunes. If you like what you just read, please hit the green ‘recommend’ button below so that others might chance upon this tale. For more inspiring stories please follow our LL. Magazine.
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