……………….As we draw closer to the end of 2020, and my 20th Anniversary also comes to an end, I want to take this opportunity to tell you all how grateful I am to have made such wonderful friends with my far reaching Linea family….This last year, a year like no other in my life time, has been a true test……So many of you have told me that my posts and videos have been a beacon of light in a year filled with darkness……During these past 20 plus years at QVC you will never know how much joy you have brought to both Jac and myself……Jac and I spent many many hours talking about all of you. She loved telling her stories and sharing her memories on face book. Retelling her stories brought it all back to her, and made it real once again. She also loved sharing her receipts, and those of her mother and her mother’s Belgian family. They were once family secrets, but as there was no family left, Jac was happy to have them live on through you……Jac would get very excited when the new samples came in knowing that we would soon be taking pictures that she could post. We had so much fun shooting outside and inside…..in every nook and cranny of the house. She loved sitting at her computer regaling the descriptions of all the garments she was wearing….then answering the follow up questions that would inevitably come. She truly loved being “with” all of you. At a certain point Jac had more Linea face book friends than I did!…Even when she was very sick and weak Jac insisted we take the pictures so she could share them……She had great courage through out her illness……..The bonds Jac developed with all of you just prove the power of the “sisterhood”……….It is hard to believe this Dec. 12th will have been three years since Jac has left me….but….Jac is with me by my side every day……………….For myself, over the many years, I have totally enjoyed being your “personal designer”. I have wanted to mentor, and guide you about the joy of dressing. I wanted to show you all the possibilities of how you could dress, and how you could develop your own personal style. With each collection I have always tried, within the boundaries set for me by QVC, to guide you and show you how you could dress, always elevating your look without dictating……The common denominator with each new group of apparel and jewelry was to offer classy, sophisticated timeless pieces. Clothes to build a wardrobe upon……year after year……I have also said many times that “not every garment is for everyone”. Not every style is suited for all body types or personalities. However, there is nothing more exciting to hear that you have tried something you never ever though was for you, and to your great surprise you look and feel wonderful in it. I firmly believe you must step out of the box to truly experience the joy of dressing. The new experience of how you feel in something you never though was for you can be exhilarating……The best compliments I have ever received were from all of you were telling me how great you felt in the clothes, and the myriad of compliments you have received…”My husband thought I looked great” was always a wonderful message from you….I have only ever wanted for you to be the best possible you…..I sincerely hope over the years I have given you a belief in yourself, and a confidence you may not have had before…….After all………..”All you have to be is Wonderful”……….If you believe in yourself, and feel beautiful and confident in how you look…..than you are WONDERFUL already!……..Our friendships have grown over the years, and even though I have only met a very few of you, I feel a closeness and bond that only comes with mutual respect and a little love mixed in. After 20 years I feel confident that I have been able to give you the tools to develop your own sense of style, your own signature of sophistication…Dressing each day should be fun, even in these trying times…..Remember, you must PLAY, PLAY, PLAY, as if you were a child again……….
Now for the second part of my letter………….It is with profound sadness that I am compelled to tell you QVC has made the choice, not mine, to end its’ relationship with the Linea brand. Dec of 2020 will be the last Linea product delivered to QVC…….Let me be absolutely clear…..As of Jan. 2021 there will be no new Linea product to purchase. There will also be no reorders for 2021. The Linea brand as you know it will come to an end. Of course there will still be inventory merchandise on the QVC website, but once it is sold out……as they say….it will be gone forever. It has been explained to me that due to the closing of QVC3 and QVC2 all of the existing brands would have to be scheduled into the QVC1 programming. They will also be introducing “new” brands that will have to be scheduled into the QVC1 programming. I can only assume there isn’t room to accommodate Linea. From what I understand choices were also made due to a brands volume. These are QVC owned brands that naturally would get priority ………I have always said Linea is a “Boutique, Specialty Brand”, meaning it was designed for a certain customer, not for everyone. It is a line designed for certain women who have the same taste as me. That’s how a “Designer Brand” is developed…….appealing to women with a similar taste level. It was never conceived as a big volume line. Throughout my career, for the past 50 years, I have always stayed true to myself, and only designed products I was proud of. I have never been a jean and tee shirt “designer” . There are plenty of other brands that take care of that segment of apparel…..That said, there are very very few brands who can do or have come close, IMHO, to what I have consistently designed for you…..It saddens me that my type of clothing will no longer be avail to you in the breath that I have offered over the last 20 years……I will not abandon you, and I will continue to post on my website and answer your questions for as long as you want me…….I hope that you too will continue to write to me, and ask me all of the questions on your mind. I have no illusions that without the Linea Brand to bond us together, eventually a quiet distance will happen, but remember I am always at my computer on the ready!………………….I will miss working with Elaine and Rowena after these 20 years of collaborating on each and every garment. We have lived through, what I consider, the GOLDEN AGE of QVC when everything was possible. When there was no compromising on materials, embroideries, and labor wasn’t an issue as they are today. When price was not the main concern. Even with the compromises we have faced over the years we still maintained our integrity, and have produced incredible designs with superb quality……….I will miss working with the team at TCJC, Marty, Cathy and Karen, who made designing the jewelry line a pure joy, and watching it grow and get better and better year after year……….I will miss terribly seeing my “girls”…..Angela, Chantal, Kate, Maria, Brenda and Katia. It was always so gratifying to see them bring my creations to life…..I will miss the special relationship they had with Jac…We plan many many visits…..As Covid has changed everything it has been a long time since we were all together on the QVC stage…..Again, the Golden Age of QVC IMHO will never to be repeated again……..I will miss working with Jennifer who did an outstanding job being the Linea Brand spokesperson. She believed and loved the lines…..I know these friendships will never end……………….Most of all I will miss being “Your Designer”, a title I have been most proud of……..It is impossible to write in one letter what FIFTY years of designing has meant to me. I have been in training since I was 16 years old. It was never a question what my life’s work would be, and I have been blessed many times over. It was designing that brought me the love of my life….Jac…….who could ask for anything more……..I can’t remember when I wasn’t designing…..It will be difficult for me to put my pencils and paper away, but all good things must come to an end, and the end is at hand………..The ability to touch so many women’s lives by making them feel beautiful and more confident about themselves has given me a true life’s purpose……….I sincerely hope, with the passing of time, we do not drift apart……………..Whenever Jac and I would come to a fork in the road, or hit a bump, and some were mountainous………………….Jac would wisely say to me……………..NEXT………………………………all my Love……………Louis
