JOURNAL

The Inimitable Laura Brown

Laura Brown wears the Solange Top, photographed by Jessica Antola

Our adoration for Laura Brown knows no bounds—and we know we’re not alone. She has been a supporter and friend of the brand since what feels like the very beginning, and we’re forever inspired by her authenticity, infectious positivity, and ability to light up any room she walks into. It’s no surprise that Laura has had the wildly successful career she has — Executive Editor at Harper’s Bazaar, Editor-in-Chief at InStyle, and now founder of her own media company, LB Media — but moving seamlessly through the industry while staying true to self and fostering a culture of inclusivity wherever she goes is, to us, her most admirable accomplishment. We’re lucky to call her a friend, and we can never get enough of her kangaroo selfies (in her hometown of Sydney, Australia) dressed in one of our Henri Tops.

In Laura’s latest move since her departure from InStyle, she’s put her interest in people to good use through her work at LB Media (“I’m interested in using the people [within the worlds I know] to benefit a broader universe,” she says), and her Substack newsletter, where she writes “about everything from Versace to Everytown.” We caught up with Laura at home on the Upper West Side—a neighborhood she loves for its proximity to Central Park and relative remove from the see-and-be-seen hustle of downtown Manhattan—and chatted about her career transition, the DÔEN piece she reaches for weekly, and the importance of knowing your own value.

Laura wears the Ciara Dress

In going from traditional big-name publications to starting your own media agency, what have been the biggest changes in your day-to day? What are you primarily focused on these days with the launch of LB Media?

Life has been very busy lately. When we all got let go from InStyle, I was already working from home anyway—and I was already kind of looking out the window to my own stuff, so it wasn’t as big of a change as you’d think. I call myself a “cultural producer.” With LB Media, I’m most interested in things within the world that I know—fashion, Hollywood, popular culture—and using the people in that sandpit to benefit a broader universe. It’s much more interesting to me than this kind of vacuum-sealed universe that fashion often lives in.

I’m working with (RED), the organization Bono founded in 2006, [which partners with brands and people to create products and experiences that fight AIDS,] bringing it back into the fashion community and chairing their first creative counsel; bringing a lot of these big movements back into the

In going from traditional big-name publications to starting your own media agency, what have been the biggest changes in your day-to day? What are you primarily focused on these days with the launch of LB Media?

Life has been very busy lately. When we all got let go from InStyle, I was already working from home anyway—and I was already kind of looking out the window to my own stuff, so it wasn’t as big of a change as you’d think. I call myself a “cultural producer.” With LB Media, I’m most interested in things within the world that I know—fashion, Hollywood, popular culture—and using the people in that sandpit to benefit a broader universe. It’s much more interesting to me than this kind of vacuum-sealed universe that fashion often lives in.

I’m working with (RED), [an organization that partners with brands and people to create products and experiences that fight AIDS,] bringing it back into the fashion community and sharing their creative counsel; bringing a lot of these big movements back into the frontal lobe and using the people I know and the skills I have to help people. I find helping people really interesting and fulfilling, and inviting more people to the traditional party is more interesting for everybody. I’m going to write a book; I'm working on various startups; I’m doing a collection with Sezane that’s out in November. I sort of dip in and out of people’s companies and structures. I really enjoy having my own time, running my day how I like, being mobile, and not having to participate in so many of the old-fashioned tropes of the magazine world.

We’re big fans of your Substack newsletter. It feels so honest and personal. What do you like most about working on it?

One thing I miss about magazines is deadlines. Once a month or several times a month, we’d have an idea and put it out into the culture. When you’re working on your own stuff, a lot of the things you’re working on take much longer—they’re potentially more exciting and more lucrative, but they’re slow. I was finding myself getting a bit impatient with all the things I was working on, and missing the way that when I worked in magazines and had an idea, I used to be able to just put it out into the culture. So, I started a Substack! If I’ve been thinking about a thing, I write about it. It’s sort of journal-y, it’s not super serious, it’s not my main game. But I really like it. I’ve written about everything from Versace to Everytown. Just things that I’m thinking about in my own life that might be interesting for others.

You’ve spoken about the importance of not deriving your sense of self-worth from what you do for a living. Can you say more about that?

Do not attach your value to where you work. You bring your value everywhere. I learned that over the years in magazines, especially during the time of magazines becoming a bit more threatened and the rise of social media, for better or for worse. Social media can be you. You can be your own editor and have your own presence. That is kind of your personal insurance with your workplace.

You are hired wherever you are working because of the value you bring, not the other way around. So if you attach too much to the workplace and something goes wrong, you end up spiraling into nothingness. Don’t give the place all that credit! I loved my time at InStyle and Harper’s Bazaar and all the places I worked before that, but I was very conscious of what I brought to them. Especially towards the later years, we all knew that magazines were getting trickier and trickier, so I was aware that I was bringing as much to it as it brought to me. You have to remember what your value is.

XX

“I find helping people really interesting and fulfilling. Inviting more people to the party is more interesting for everybody.”

– LAURA BROWN

You’ve been a DÔEN supporter from our earliest days, and we love you for that. Can you tell us about some of the pieces you’ve worn and loved the most over the years?

I love a floral shirt, let’s be clear, and DÔEN does the best ones. My everyday style is a floral shirt and a pair of jeans, so guess who does those best? Ever since I found DÔEN on somebody’s Instagram years ago, I’ve worn it religiously. I wear it maybe four, five times a week. My favorite piece is a red floral Henri Top I’ve had for years and years—I always wear it when I want to feel put-together and pretty, girl on the go-ish. I thought I’d lost it recently, because Delta lost my bag, and out of all the things that were in there, I was like, “Not the shirt!” But it’s back, don’t worry. It’s back and it’s in my wardrobe.

Who are some of the people in your inner circle that inspire you the most? Who do you look to for guidance, support, and inspiration?

My girlfriends who all work very hard, whether they’re lawyers or finance people or in the food business. Obviously my better-known creative friends—people like Naomi Watts, for example; she’s a super acclaimed actress who felt that something was lacking in the menopause space and went swinging into that [by creating her brand Stripes]. I’m a huge admirer of her. Any of my actress friends who manage to do great work and be graceful and use their platforms for good, like Laura Dern and Julianne Moore. My friend Tarana Burke who founded the #MeToo movement, all the folks that run (RED), with whom I work so closely now. Pierpaolo Piccioli, one of my dearest friends, brings so much beauty into the world with such a good heart. I think that once you have a sort of “team,” you end up bringing each other up, and I find that the most gratifying. I was raised an only child, so you can page Dr. Freud about why I know so many people.

In going from traditional big-name publications to starting your own media agency, what have been the biggest changes in your day-to day? What are you primarily focused on these days with the launch of LB Media?

Life has been very busy lately. When we all got let go from InStyle, I was already working from home anyway—and I was already kind of looking out the window to my own stuff, so it wasn’t as big of a change as you’d think. I call myself a “cultural producer.” With LB Media, I’m most interested in things within the world that I know—fashion, Hollywood, popular culture—and using the people in that sandpit to benefit a broader universe. It’s much more interesting to me than this kind of vacuum-sealed universe that fashion often lives in.

I’m working with (RED), [an organization that partners with brands and people to create products and experiences that fight AIDS,] bringing it back into the fashion community and sharing their creative counsel; bringing a lot of these big movements back into the frontal lobe and using the people I know and the skills I have to help people. I find helping people really interesting and fulfilling, and inviting more people to the traditional party is more interesting for everybody.

In going from traditional big-name publications to starting your own media agency, what have been the biggest changes in your day-to day? What are you primarily focused on these days with the launch of LB Media?

Life has been very busy lately. When we all got let go from InStyle, I was already working from home anyway—and I was already kind of looking out the window to my own stuff, so it wasn’t as big of a change as you’d think. I call myself a “cultural producer.” With LB Media, I’m most interested in things within the world that I know—fashion, Hollywood, popular culture—and using the people in that sandpit to benefit a broader universe. It’s much more interesting to me than this kind of vacuum-sealed universe that fashion often lives in.

I’m working with (RED), the organization Bono founded in 2006, [which partners with brands and people to create products and experiences that fight AIDS,] bringing it back into the fashion community and chairing their first creative counsel; bringing a lot of these big movements back into the frontal lobe and enlisting the people I know and the skills I have to help people. Inviting more people to the party, opening the door more widely, is more interesting for everybody. I’m going to write a book; I'm working on various startups; I’m doing a collection with Sezane that’s out in November. I sort of dip in and out of people’s companies and structures. I really enjoy having my own time, running my day how I like, being mobile, and not having to participate in so many of the old-fashioned tropes of the magazine world.

We’re big fans of your Substack newsletter. It feels so honest and personal. What do you like most about working on it?

One thing I miss about magazines is deadlines. Once a month or several times a month, we’d have an idea and put it out into the culture. When you’re working on your own stuff, a lot of the things you’re working on take much longer—they’re potentially more exciting and more lucrative, but they’re slow. I was finding myself getting a bit impatient with all the things I was working on, and missing the way that when I worked in magazines and had an idea, I used to be able to just put it out into the culture. So, I started a Substack! If I’ve been thinking about a thing, I write about it. It’s sort of journal-y, it’s not super serious, it’s not my main game. But I really like it. I’ve written about everything from Versace to Everytown. Just things that I’m thinking about in my own life that might be interesting for others.

You’ve spoken about the importance of not deriving your sense of self-worth from what you do for a living. Can you say more about that?

Do not attach your value to where you work. You bring your value everywhere. I learned that over the years in magazines, especially during the time of magazines becoming a bit more threatened and the rise of social media, for better or for worse. Social media can be you. You can be your own editor and have your own presence. That is kind of your personal insurance with your workplace.

You are hired wherever you are working because of the value you bring, not the other way around. So if you attach too much to the workplace and something goes wrong, you end up spiraling into nothingness. Don’t give the place all that credit! I loved my time at InStyle and Harper’s Bazaar and all the places I worked before that, but I was very conscious of what I brought to them. Especially towards the later years, we all knew that magazines were getting trickier and trickier, so I was aware that I was bringing as much to it as it brought to me. You have to remember what your value is.

Laura wears the DÔEN Heirloom Duccio Jacket over her favorite Henri Top (from Spring 2021)

“My favorite Dôen piece is a red floral Henri top I’ve had for years and years—I always wear it when I want to feel put-together.”

– LAURA BROWN

You’ve been a DÔEN supporter from our earliest days, and we love you for that. Can you tell us about some of the pieces you’ve worn and loved the most over the years?

I love a floral shirt, let’s be clear, and DÔEN does the best ones. My everyday style is a floral shirt and a pair of jeans, so guess who does those best? Ever since I found DÔEN on somebody’s Instagram years ago, I’ve worn it religiously. I wear it maybe four, five times a week. My favorite piece is a red floral Henri Top I’ve had for years and years—I always wear it when I want to feel put-together and pretty, girl on the go-ish. I thought I’d lost it recently, because Delta lost my bag, and out of all the things that were in there, I was like, “Not the shirt!” But it’s back, don’t worry. It’s back and it’s in my wardrobe.