Denis Colomb and Erica Lennard

A-list actress and style icon Nicole Kidman, who recently scooped up two of Denis Colomb’s chic cashmere scarves, is a fan. So is diminutive fashionista Mary-Kate Olsen, who has been snapped by the paparazzi casually sporting one of Colomb’s creations as an accoutrement to her Boho chic style. Even the legendary Rolling Stones, who ordered up a passel of the company’s downy soft cashmere travel blankets for their private plane, have been touched by the Denis Colomb magic.  

And, just in case these celebrity endorsements are not enough to drive the opulent point home, legend also has it that after catching a glimpse of one of the Colomb collection’s cashmere travel blankets on a flight from Paris to Los Angeles, one powerhouse Hollywood agent became so taken with the luxurious item that she demanded that she have it immediately…even though it was three years old at the time and the personal property of Mr. Denis Colomb himself.  

Such is the fervor inspired by the sophisticated offerings that are the brainchild of the über creative duo of noted French architectural designer, Denis Colomb, and his wife, acclaimed photographer Erica Lennard, who together are the driving force behind what is most certainly one of the fashion world’s best kept secrets.  

After becoming completely enamored by the Denis Colomb Lifestyle collection on a recent shopping expedition in Los Angeles, I managed to wrangle an introduction to, and subsequently a meeting with, the very worldly Mr. Colomb and Ms. Lennard. When I arrived at their airy offices, located in a stunning Art Deco building overlooking downtown Los Angeles, I felt as though I had been swept into a cashmere lined nirvana. In every corner and on every surface, the brilliantly hued downy product of those rare Asian goats about which I had heard so much was on full display, inspiring in my spirit the kind of glee that is generally reserved for exceptional romantic encounters.  

As I chatted with the two style arbiters, it became clear why their 15 year relationship, which a few years back inspired the publication of the visually stunning, glossy tome, Living Together: How Couples Create Design Harmony At Home, worked so well.  

While Erica leads me through the company’s genesis in a pleasantly soft-spoken and measured manner, the very French Denis whirls about the office like a cross between a madcap inventor and a deservedly proud papa displaying for me his masterful designs and the expert craftsmanship involved in each one. Observing and listening to this artfully in sync tag team… the historian and the showman, if you will… I quickly came to understand how what had begun two years ago as the result of a meeting with a buyer at an upscale San Francisco retailer.  

“We started as a Mom and Pop company,” says Denis of his collection’s beginnings. “I am always inspired by colors or my roots in Provence and the beautiful colors of Provence. But first, I was inspired by things for us. We always need things to wear. For me, I’m always cold, so I was wearing a cashmere scarf when my friend said ‘I want one.’ So I started like that and said, 'OK, let’s do a collection’ and now it’s a new collection. Next we’re launching sweaters and shirts in cashmere.”  

“We started literally with things in the car and we drove to San Francisco where we had an appointment with Wilkes Bashford and they responded,” Erica offered echoing Denis’ sentiments on their company’s uncalculated origins. “Not by necessity, but by desire, we created this whole other entity… this new business. And it’s nice to be doing a product that, for the moment, everyone is very enthusiastic about”, she continued.  

Speaking of enthusiasm, one can feel as enthusiastically warm and fuzzy inside about donning an item from Denis Colomb Lifestyle collection because this is a line that embodies that oh so scarce combination of luxury and social conscience. 

Rather than going to the garment district or to China, Denis and Erica made the conscious decision to produce their line in fair trade workshops in poverty-stricken Nepal, where Denis worked with factory owners to devise his own color palette and his own styles and to teach them about things like quality control in what is a growing process that provides untold benefits on a grassroots level. Bravo. Now I ask you… Is there anything better than style produced with heart? 

As for their plans for future, Erica and Denis are placing their faith in the same sort of organic approach that led them to start the business in the first place. Just as they began with no grand plan or multi-million dollar major investors, they look to the future with a unique sense of optimism not bound by traditional business strictures.  

Next summer, Denis Colomb will launch a new line of sweaters, t-shirts and hoodies all made of very light, very fine cashmere at Paris Fashion Week. There’s also been some interest in opening a signature store in Paris or New York, which the couple is considering, but beyond that, they view the future of their enterprise as what they call an ‘evolutionary situation’.  

And why shouldn’t they? After all, judging from the rabid interest the Denis Colomb Lifestyle has inspired thus far, the future of the line looks as fine as the products that have come out of it. To which I say, ‘Hoorah!’ Because, like great accessories, if there’s one thing the world can do with more of, it’s fine cashmere.