Monique Lhuilier is from Cebu City, Phillippines and at an early age her parent’s forbade her and her siblings from wearing black outfits. Because of this limitation, Monique’s mother sewed all of her clothes and was so captivated by it that she started a small business from home. This influenced Monique greatly and she soon became interested in the design process and would design all of her outfits to any events or special occasions that her family attended.
Lhuilier moved to Switzerland at 15 years of age to study at boarding school, Chateau Mont-Choisi. She later attended Saint Theresa’s College. Monique’s parents did not want her to study in New York by herself so they convinced her to picked a school in Los Angeles instead, where her other siblings resided at the time. Here, she was admitted to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising school.
Partnering up with her husband, Tom Bugbee, they founded Monique Lhuilier & Company in 1996. Her label is famous for its “glamorous red-carpet-worthy cocktail dresses and romantic evening gowns.”