Meet Nicole Griffin of Lunisol in La Jolla

Nicole, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My mother has always been an entrepreneur at heart. She began working in the shoe business at age nineteen when she realized footwear is an extension of an individual. My parents started and sold multiple brands of footwear to high-end retailers and mail order catalogs across the US.

My journey as an entrepreneur has been very interesting, but that whole journey contributed to everything that I am today. I have allowed people who are successful (financially, physically, and emotionally) to share their insight- this way, I have grown personally and not just as a woman in business.

Family is everything to us. My dad has always been supportive. The significance behind the company name, LUNISOL, was made after combining my mother’s children’s’ name: Lucas, Nicole (myself), and Sol.

LUNISOL has allowed us to solidify our mother-daughter relationship. I collaborate with my mother on creating product displays, hiring team members, and opening retail stores. My mother and I are both driven and able to listen to our customers to see what products they desire. We value our time getting to know our clients, offering suggestions for their wardrobe in order to provide each with a memorable shopping experience and ensure customers feel good about themselves.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not being taken seriously as a young female entrepreneur was my biggest struggles along the way. Every woman wants to be respected and admired but may come across as aggressive in the pursuit of greatness, which hinders our capacity to collaborate and add value to a group.

When I was invited to attend a business conference in Lake Como, Italy, by the Italian Chamber of Commerce, my peers questioned my presence and shunned the idea of having me participate as the only buyer from the US. Through my persistence, I encouraged my group to adopt a completely different vision and show each other respect through their language and actions. The more I travel, I learn to appreciate brilliant architecture, sweet and savory foods and realize that no matter how significant our external factors may seem, we’re fundamentally all the same.

I recognize that changes are pitifully slow, but there needs to be an increased identity in order to fight the archaic preconceived ideologies. There is more to the way you dress and present yourself. There can be young, women leaders, and should continue to be more in order to accurately depict our society.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
LUNISOL shoes are customized for our retail stores. My mother designs the collection in the US and is personally involved in selecting the materials in Brazil, where they are manufactured under careful oversight. She has a keen eye for design, style, and comfort. Every category of shoes, from scrappy heels to ballet flats with orthopedic built-in inserts, are represented in each capsule collection. Through her experience in the wholesale business, she tailors the LUNISOL private label collection to meet the needs for quality and comfort for the boutiques in California. My mother consciously avoids mass production and has personal involvement in the materials selected for the construction of each shoe.

We have expanded into LUNISOL “Made in Italy” clothing, a line fully produced exclusively for our retail stores. The staple collection is available in a variety of colors depending on the season while maintaining quality. Each category we carry is carefully chosen to add to the shopping experience at the store.

At LUNISOL, I visit our suppliers’ facilities in Italy and gain keen insight on fashion trends. I look for beautiful drapes and eye-catching patterns, for our upcoming lines aimed toward modern and contemporary fashionistas. This year, we added menswear, carrying individually numbered dress shirts, that meticulously represent an eclectic lifestyle through colorful textile patterns. In October, I will travel to Japan, as I am eager to tap into Japanese men’s perspective of dressing, since men are creative in fashion, linking it back to male actors in the Edo period.

In the US, I attend fashion trade shows in Las Vegas and New York City, to place orders for the upcoming season, scout fresh items, meet emerging designers, develop crossover between product items, and connect with our existing vendors. Our goal is to create an immersion experience from across the globe designed for the local client, and the international tourist will appreciate. Our buying and outsourcing have always been on a global platform, where we bring our clientele a world-class shopping experience to the community.

At our retail stores, I regularly train our extraordinary employees, that strive to deliver an unparalleled convenience, insure excellent and multilingual customer service, and reflect our company standards. I also regularly appear on our social media platforms, promoting new products, or capturing a boomerang video with a styled client wearing items purchased before they leave the store. My passion and commitment to building the family-owned and operated brand adds value to the shopping experience.

What were you like growing up?
Starting at age six, I utilized dance classes to promote a healthy lifestyle. Growing up as a ballerina, I learned how to be graceful despite experiencing physical pain. The idea to work hard, compete with confidence, and draw the audience in at an unspoken level came through at dance recitals where I strived to create beauty.

I also volunteered hundreds of hours through the Teens in Action youth program at my local church.

When I started high school, I would write all the time in both English, Spanish, and practice Japanese hiragana and katakana brush strokes in trace sheets. I spent my mornings reading the newspaper (Financial Times and Wall Street Journal) with my dad during breakfast, and enjoyed listening to interviews of admirable world leaders. This is where my commitment and strong desire to leave a footprint began.

Since I enjoyed public speaking and took courses, I was involved in student government from elementary school as President of the student body up until undergrad, where I was Director of Student Organizations for my campus, Elenor Roosevelt College, at UCSD. In undergrad, I worked for admissions as an ambassador and pursued a career in Political Science to ultimately attend law school and practice business law.

Spirituality played a huge role in having a work-life balance. Whether it’s through prayer, life-coach lectures, reading, or asking others for help- never losing hope, investing in ourselves, and keep learning what our purpose ultimately is, no matter the story.