Leslie Christen was a fashion stylist for 25 years, working in feature films, commercials, editorial, fashion shows with private clients, and more. When the pandemic hit and events that she would normally be styling for disappeared, she decided to pivot. “I wanted to start a clothing line, and I was taking used men’s shirts … and repurposing them and putting really big, embroidered flowers all over,” Christen says. “I was like, wait, I could probably turn this into an embroidery company.” Her friends at Good Together House in Laguna Beach asked Christen to do an embroidery pop-up for Mother’s Day, which was so successful, Christen became the shop’s resident embroiderer for three years. In January, she opened Laguna Embroidery in the The Laguna Lumberyard.
Customers can shop napkins, aprons, tote bags, dish towels, and products for babies and dogs that can be embroidered, or they can bring in their own pieces for custom embroidery. For Mother’s Day, customers can request to have their mom’s name embroidered on a handkerchief, napkin, or anything else they’d like. Christen also has a warehouse in Santa Ana where she works on projects for her corporate clients, such as Chopard, South Coast Plaza, Monday Swimwear, Z SUPPLY, and City of Hope. “I didn’t realize that embroidery was going to be so big—especially in Orange County,” Christen says. “It’s the experience of coming in and seeing your dream come to life on a piece.”
LEND A HAND
Hand-embroidered shirting, $248
MELLOW YELLOW
Spring napkins, $88
BAG IT UP
Le Tote, $58 with embroidery
384 Forest Ave.
Laguna Beach
laguna-embroidery.com
The post This Laguna Beach Shop Turns Everyday Items Into Custom Embroidered Keepsakes appeared first on Orange Coast.