Even as adults, there are still plenty of excuses to play dress-up. For proof, look no further than Melissa Loschy, whose Los Angeles-based crown brand, Loschy Designs, is favored by festival queens and television royalty alike. A crown-lover since childhood, Loschy monetized her passion for jeweled headpieces in 2006 and now boasts clientele like Paris Hilton, Esperanza Spalding and even the royals on CW’s Reign. A glance through her Instagram account reveals that there’s a crown, whether adorned with delicate quartz or embellished with snakes, for every occasion. Read on for our chat with the designer about monetizing passion projects and building a brand on Instagram.
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Embrace New Programs and Creative Outlets
What is your background as a designer? What was happening in your life when you decided to start Loschy designs?
My background as a designer started when I was quite young! Growing up in the ’90s, my family fully embraced the personal computer. My dad would teach me how to use programs like “Kid Pix” and “Print Shop Premier” and I would design everything from Christmas cards to illustrated story books for family members. In High School I took a class to learn all of the Adobe software and decided I wanted to study graphic design in college [at Chapman University]. While there, I worked as an event coordinator at Michaels Arts and Crafts and got to learn new crafting techniques. Loschy Designs come about towards the end of my college career as a combination of my graphic design and handmade design skills, and I opened my Etsy shop in 2006.
When You Realize You Have Something Special, Take the Risk
What about making and sharing your crowns encouraged you to do it professionally?
I first made a few crowns in May of 2014 as props for a photoshoot for one of my jewelry collections that was inspired by the Art Deco architecture in Downtown Los Angeles. When people saw the photos, they started asking if the headpieces were available for purchase. I decided to make a few to sell them and to my surprise, I sold out every time! At that point I thought, “Maybe I have something here.” Entering the crown business sort of happened by accident, but most of the time, I think the point at which you can turn something you love into a business comes when you’re ready to take a risk, and also willing to work harder on it than anything you’ve ever worked on before.
DIY + UGC (User Generated Content) = Balanced Feed
One of our favorite things about your feed is the eclectic array of photos, many from users wearing your crowns. Who creates your original content and how do you gather images from other users?
The great thing about crowns is that the first thing people want to do is take a photo of themselves wearing them! I’m lucky that customers tag me in their photos, so I get a pretty consistent flow of content from that alone. I love taking product shots. The pictures I post of my hand holding a crown in the foreground and beautiful scenery in the background are usually the most popular. I also collaborate with amazing photographers who borrow my crowns for shoots. I try to keep a balance in my feed with every other photo being a product shot or a customer/model/self-portrait shot (and occasionally an inspired #CrownGoal shot).
Foster Organic Business Relationships Over Social
You’ve made crowns for everyone from Paris Hilton to the queens on Reign. How does that work? Do they reach out to you organically?
Paris Hilton and Reign both happened organically. Paris purchased a few of my crowns from one of my retailers and an IG follower alerted me to it and once I commented on her photo, she started following me back and we began chatting via Direct Message about designing a bunch of pieces for her summer DJ residency in Spain (31 total!). And for Reign, one of the show’s costume designers reached out to me via Etsy and we worked together to customize a total of five crowns. The collab with Paris is definitely the one I’m most proud of because I never thought I would work with someone like her, and in turn she’s gone out of her way to help promote my business. She has over 7 million followers and during the summer when she would post photos of my work, my following nearly doubled and sales started to grow consistently. Another proud moment was my first big wholesale order with Free People! It was a struggle sorting out the logistics, but I learned so much and got great model shots as well.
Be Willing to Hire an Extra Set of Hands
We’ve seen some of your battle wounds from working on crowns. Do you make every piece yourself by hand?
I do make every single crown myself but recently I hired an assistant and she’s amazing! She helps to prep components, glue gemstones, cut patterns, etc. I still have plenty of blisters and calluses but having another set of hands has made a world of difference for me.
Learn to Let Go
Do you have a favorite crown in your collection? Do you ever feel sad to part with a piece?
My most favorite crown I’ve ever made so far was my Medusa crown, which I wore on Halloween. It took half a day to make and I recently sold it to a New York Times best selling author who writes fantasy YA novels. I thought about keeping it, but it’s in very good hands now.
Find Your Fans Through Communities Both Online and Off
What’s next for Loschy designs?
My goals for 2018 is the venture into vending at more specialized events like WonderCon. I found a huge niche at RuPaul’s DragCon and the fan communities are so amazing. I’m hoping to find a few more events like that. Another major goal is to partner with a gown designer for New York Fashion Week and design headpieces that match what the models wear down the runway. Lastly, I’m definitely planning to feature more of my jewelry. The collection I’ve been working on is inspired by Peru and available now!
This Loschy Designs Templi Crown will make you feel like the queen you truly are.
Order it from Dolls Kill now to get it in time for Coachella.
