Luna Mae London: A lingerie brand redefining “luxury” service
Claudia Lambeth wasn’t satisfied with high street luxury lingerie services and so created her own bespoke brand, Luna Mae London.
Luna Mae London is a luxury lingerie brand that was launched by CEO and founder Claudia Lambeth back in 2012, when she was only 22 years-old.
Since then, the brand has hit a number of key milestones. After the first two years were dedicated to research and development, the brand has now opened its first flagship store and boasts an 85 per cent returning customer rate.
Recently, Lambeth was recognised at the Real Business-hosted Amazon Growing Business Awards as Young Entrepreneur of the Year, so we caught up with her to hear more about the brand’s story so far.
Luna Mae London offers a completely bespoke service — how does that work?
We have no stock at all — I start the fit all by sight. We use sample silhouettes which exist in blocks that I’ve developed to work out the closest shape and size for that client, and we then pin the garment to create a fully bespoke measurement.
We then draft a new pattern for the client — she can then choose from hundreds of different types and shades of silk, and we’ve got archives of different embellishments. The world is the client’s oyster.
What is the competition like?
Fortunately, we’re sort of the only brand offering this level of bespoke services. There are a few other brands that have a kind of semi-bespoke service — offering perhaps, this bra in another colour, or take it in at the back. We start completely from scratch and create a pattern — we’re the only brand operating in this way, so we’ve been able to build up a very unique client base that understands that.
What has been you’re the biggest challenge for Luna Mae London?
Initially, building up a strong client base. It felt that you had to be very patient, but it’s really about making sure that people can understand the quality and the story behind it.
I started the business at the age of 22, so I didn’t have a huge amount of experience, but I was just incredibly passionate and keen to learn as much as I could.
Running a business always has its day-to-day challenges, and it’s just making sure you’re equipped to respond. Keeping a small team is lovely, because we can be really attentive and make sure we’re on point all the time.
What advice would you offer to businesses starting out offering a bespoke service?
I think it’s absolutely about being passionate — just make sure you really believe in what you do. Remain positive, remain passionate, take each day as it comes and realise that sometimes you have setbacks, and that’s ok — you can learn from that.
How did you find the Amazon Growing Business Awards?
It was a fantastic experience and it’s such an honour to have won. I’m so proud and I’m hugely grateful for the recognition. I met some fantastic people on the night, some incredibly inspiring business people. I’d recommend anybody to try and get involved as much as possible in the future.
If you’ve enjoyed this article then why not subscribe to the Real Business newsletter for more SME insight and inspiration?
About the author
Letitia Booty is a special projects journalist for Real Business. She has a BA in english literature from the University of East Anglia, and since graduating she has written for a variety of trade titles. Most recently, she was a reporter at SME magazine.
