July Glambassador
From Closet Dreamer to Fashion Visionary: Laura Citron's Journey
Laura Citron
It all began with a closet... Growing up in Louisiana, my mother’s closet was a bright, bold shimmering portal to a world that catapulted me out of normal life, and into vintage glamour,beauty, and fun! This magical place was packed with ‘70s lame’ jumpsuits and ‘80s sequined Mardi Gras gowns, and it ignited a passion inside that little girl! Fast forward to me at 20 years old. My cousin was working in Los Angeles in television, and encouraged me to spend the summer there. He was able to find me a job working at Tyra Banks Show. I quickly made my way to wardrobe department, and it was here that I saw firsthand what I had never seen before – That a career in fashion was possible! In pursuit of this burning love of fashion, I transferred from studying journalism at LSU (a degree that was nearly complete!), and took a huge leap by moving to NYC and starting over with Fashion Merchandising Management at FIT. I even had to take a few semesters off to work and gain in-state tuition, but I proudly graduated in 2013!
During my time in NYC, I explored many roles in fashion to discover what I loved most, from a trend forecasting internship at WGSN, to buyer at Delia’s, to freelance fashion stylist, to one of my personal favorites - assistant manager at What Goes Around Comes Around, one of the city’s leading luxury vintage boutiques. My time spent in NYC taught me so much about the fashion industry. What I wanted, and what I did not! I wouldn’t trade these valuable years and lessons for anything! After 5 years of living in NYC, I needed a change of scenery and Nashville was the talk of the town! In 2014, I moved to Nashville, where I opened my own curated vintage boutique, OPIUMvintage. I loved my business, but it was becoming difficult to source vintage goods, so I began producing limited-edition pieces that were inspired by my love of vintage and those early years in my mother’s closet! I officially launched my clothing line at Nashville Fashion Week in 2018, and felt on top of the world! Since then, I have poured my heart and soul into my clothing line! My pieces have been featured in publications including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Grazia, L’Officiel, Rolling Stone, Forbes, and the Wall Street Journal. My designs have been seen on celebrities and musicians including Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Lauren Alaina, Jennifer Nettles, Greta Van Fleet, Jake Wesley Rogers, and more. They’ve been spotted on Good Morning America, and Live with Kelly and Ryan, as well as many award shows, red carpets, and more than 30 runway shows across 8 cities in America. In April, I celebrated my first international show in Melbourne, Australia for Melbourne Fashion Festival. Most recently in October, I received one my biggest honors yet as being chosen as the 2023 Charleston Fashion Week Emerging Designer Competition Winner, out of over 50 applicants from across the country!
I’m truly grateful for the success my brand has experienced, but have so much more to do! I always say that fashion is fantasy, and my goal continues to be creating a world filled with color, sparkle, and fun where everyone can feel happy, confident, and fabulous!
Why blend in, when you were born to STAND OUT?!
As for advice, it’s your dream, never give up on it!! If you want it bad enough, you will find away! Often times it’s not the smartest or most talented who achieve what they want, but instead the ones who just refuse to give up!
Be brave enough to take risks. Nothing great was ever achieved by playing it safe!
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and fail, because that’s when you grow the most – not when you succeed! Get to know your local community. Reach out to anyone you know who is where you would like to be. People like to help! Work hard and be nice.
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