Alumni
Grad Owns Lily Love Boutique in Playa Del Rey
Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada where she attended Massey High School, Sara Lashkari wanted to work in fashion for as long as she can remember. While studying Merchandising & Marketing at FIDM, she interned at E! Upon graduating in 2012, Sara worked at the television network for three years on and off on a wide variety of projects. A loss led Sara to make her entrepreneurial dreams a reality and in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, she opened Lily Love Boutique in Playa Del Rey, California. We checked in with her to learn more.
How did you decide on FIDM? It was either moving to New York or LA for me, and I decided on the West Coast. I had heard awesome things about FIDM, and after researching the programs, I decided on Merchandise & Marketing. I felt it was a diverse degree and would provide me with a lot of knowledge for the business side of fashion.
What led you to open Lily Love? Unfortunately, my mom passed away in 2018. She was my absolute best friend and biggest supporter. She knew that this was my path and encouraged me many times to make the move to LA and to attend FIDM. When she passed, I knew I had to stop putting off my dreams. I finally decided to open my boutique and named it after her. Her name — Susanne — means Lily in English, translated from Farsi.
What has the response been so far? I opened in 2020! Yes, the worst time. I had my retail space at the end of February and was planning to open in March. That was put off, obviously, and so I initially started online. It was slow to start, that's for sure. I opened the doors to the physical shop in October. It has definitely grown since 2020, and I have doubled my sales since then.
How did FIDM prepare you for entrepreneurship? FIDM provided me with a ton of knowledge on the business side of fashion. I learned about creating business plans, marketing, textile info, which comes in handy daily, et cetera. I loved the real world experience provided by teachers who had worked in their respective fields. I also enjoyed the opportunities I was given and connections I made.
Learn more online at lilyloveboutique.com and on Instagram @lilylove.boutique.
Categories: Merchandising & Marketing Alumni International
