Dispatch From LA: Profile of Designer Kim Ovitz

All week long, Geri Hirsch (of fashion blog Because I'm Addicted) has been blogging about L.A.'s fashion, shopping and beauty scenes.

Los Angeles-based fashion designer Kim Ovitz has finally achieved a dream that has been in the making for as long as she can remember. With a desire to create her own fashion line, Kim set out to gain as much experience as possible in as many sectors of the industry as she could, ultimately enabling her to have a solid grasp of the industry as a whole.

Her career began at the tender age of 16, when she interned for J.Crew in New York. Bitten by the fashion bug, Kim attended Parsons' fashion design intensive program, then enrolled in Brown University, where she graduated with a B.A. in Art History. During her time at Brown, Ovitz spent her summer breaks working as an intern for some of fashion's royalty, including Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld. Reflecting on the first time she met Karl, Kim remembers being so overwhelmed that she literally could not rise from her seat. She quickly followed up with a letter of apology.

As if working at Chanel wasn't sufficient enough, Kim also interned in Armani's PR department and at W Magazine . After graduating Brown, Kim worked as a design assistant for Tara Subkoff and later at Ya-Ya. She knew she had made it when Cynthia Vincent hired her as an in-house designer.

She had the tools, she had the experience, and she had the contacts; it was time for Kim to go out on her own. Approaching her concept from a pragmatic standpoint, she assembled a detailed business plan, a budget, and a four year trajectory outlining costs and goals. She bought dress forms, ordered fabric, and used freelance pattern makers and sewers to assemble her spring '09 collection, which was comprised of a whopping 60 pieces. Now she had to sell it.

Kim flew to New York to meet with several showrooms, and eventually settled with Denise Williamson. That September, Kim's debut collection was picked up by such boutiques as Curve, Intermix, Satine and Forward by Revolve. The success of the collection allowed Kim to hire a production manager, her first employee. The pair got right to work on Kim Ovitz fall '09, tapping into fine artist Jasper Johns' various works for inspiration. Kim Ovitz has arrived!

When asked if she has any advice for you up-and-comers, Kim stressed the importance of basing your line around a central concept, or specializing in one signature garment (i.e. jackets, tops, shoes, etc).

For more of Kim Ovtiz, go to her website.

More from Luckymag.com:

Dispatch From LA: Fall Fashion as Styled by Monica Rose

Dispatch From LA: Geri Hirsch of Because I'm Addicted

First Look: Madeleine Thompson Knitwear