“Embroidery has been part of my life forever. I always knew I would do this my whole life; there was never a Plan B.”

Laura Weber moved to New York City from her native Ireland almost ten years ago and went straight to the Garment District from the airport. She had learned to sew and knit at age three, when she was part of a group of a dozen children under the care of a wonderful nanny who exposed her to all sorts of arts and crafts. Laura quickly developed a passion for embroidery, which she later studied in college.

With Ireland being a small market, she decided to move to New York and join a local factory. LW Pearl was founded in 2019 “by default”, as so many people kept reaching out to her after she had taken a break from work and asking her to make pieces for them.

Laura emphasizes how lucky she is to have a diverse team of talented and hard-working ladies who all share the same dedication to the various skills they each bring to the table. As for these ladies, one of the many reasons why they joined LW Pearl is that they know that their skills are recognized. They also know that Laura cares deeply about improving everyone’s quality of life – with no one at LW Pearl working for minimum wage.

“I founded LW Pearl as an embroidery and embellishment company that specializes in quality and craftsmanship.”

Over the past three years, the company has grown steadily, producing all types of high-end garments. Laura is also proud to offer production capabilities – not just one-off pieces. She emphasizes that Embroidery and Embellishment means so much more than needle and thread, and actually includes lacemaking, beading, and pretty much everything involving enhancing a textile.

And clients keep coming to her for to the impeccable quality and personalized customer service that they receive. LW Pearl is also known for the level of care with which they handle garments: the team genuinely cares, and its clients know it. In fact, Laura and her team were busy throughout the pandemic, sampling and producing embroidery work the entire time. When she thinks of challenges, it’s space that comes to mind as the company is expanding, and rent tends to be expensive.

“We would never think of moving outside the Garment District, as the proximity to thread and materials is so critical.”

As one of the youngest factory owners in the Garment District, Laura brings her own perspective on how things can be improved, while keeping traditional techniques at the forefront of what LW Pearl does. She also wants to purchase more equipment. While importing French machines that are over 100 years old tends to be expensive, she has a long wish list of equipment that she is eyeing and is slowly working through it.

It’s with much passion that Laura speaks about the decade she has spent in the Garment District, as she is extremely grateful to constantly be working with such creative people. The exposure to true artisans who are happy to pass on their skills has been “a real treat”. Her team works very closely with many factories: while factory owners tended to be more secretive in the past, business is now much more collaborative with factories working together to expand. And for LW Pearl, many exciting new projects are planned for the coming years.