The Irish designer who worked on Jill Biden’s dress
The name on everyone’s masked-up lips in the fashion world right now? Dublin native Laura Weber. The NCAD graduate has officially joined the ranks of celebrity-favorite designers following her work on First Lady Jill Biden’s evening ensemble for the presidential inauguration.
Weber created the embroidery for Ms Biden’s white cashmere coat and silk wool cady dress, designed by Gabriela Hearst, for weeks, spending two to four hours applying a flower for each of the 50 US states to the dress’s silk organza neckline and arms.
Floored by the response, she told RTÉ that the work had been “a labour of love” which started at the start of December and took over a month to perfect.
“We developed each flower for each US State and Territory. We chose every bead, every stitch, every stitch direction, every colour and we prototyped all of those and when they were approved we lay it out,” she said.
Originally hailing from Rathfarnham, Weber moved to New York in 2013, just one year out of college with nothing in hand but her skills and an impressive portfolio. Six years after securing her first job in a Garment District embroidery company, Weber set up her own NYC-based atelier LW Pearl.
LW Pearl has worked on pieces for every top designer from Dolce and Gabbana to Marc Jacobs and Weber’s embellishments and embroidery work have been seen on some of the biggest names in fashion, like Anna Wintour, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga.
Sometime this year, Weber and her husband Joseph Rein are planning to drop a luxury athleisure brand that’s been years in the making, with Weber also currently working on a line of luxury face masks she hopes to launch soon.
From the mask she embroidered for Ms Biden, we imagine they’ll be stunningly intricate, and high in demand.
Attention to detail, such as specifically embroidering the Delaware flower on Ms Biden’s mask, is Weber’s specialty. She also made sure that the Delaware symbol, the First Lady’s home state, was placed near her heart on the dress.
The designers also included a Benjamin Franklin quote on the lining of the First Lady’s coat that paid homage to her role as an educator. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn,” it reads.
Gabriela Hearst said the ensemble was inspired by the message of unity. “Unity makes strength and it is needed for the road ahead. The blooming symbol to represent this message are the federal flowers from every state and territory of the United States of America,” she wrote on her Instagram account.
Weber’s work will even be on display in the Smithsonian museum soon, after the outfit is donated to the museum’s First Ladies’ collection.
“I’ve been in business for 18 months and it’s cascaded” she told RTÉ, still on a high from the response.
Following the response to her work on Ms Biden’s dress, she’s sure to remain that way for years to come.