Palisadian Sweater Gurus Bring Kate Moss Into the Family Business

By LILA SEIDMAN | Reporter

Why would internationally acclaimed supermodel Kate Moss agree to front Naked Cashmere, a new, affordable cashmere line based in Santa Monica?

“She loved that it was a family business,” explained Highlands resident Leslie Gifford, who, along with husband Bruce, launched the direct-to-consumer line on Sept. 1.

Both the Giffords’ children work in “the business,” as the Giffords call it. Their daughter, Alex, 27, who cut her teeth at Elyse Walker in Pacific Palisades, works in sales. Their son, Andrew, 30, is chief marketing officer at their office in Chelsea, New York. “For me, it’s all about family,” Leslie said.

But the New York natives are running their tight-knit operation in a decidedly high-rolling, high fashion manner.

Besides Moss, the Giffords tapped noted fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh and ad wiz David Lipman for the campaign, in which a stripped down, nearly makeup-free Moss—shot lusciously in black and white—embodies wistful contemplation in nothing but a loose cashmere sweater or shawl.

“Kate immediately felt connected” to the brand, Leslie said. Moss concurred in a statement: “When I first put on Naked Cashmere, I didn’t feel like I was anyone other than myself. It was really amazing.”

Bruce noted that the campaign is a perfect fit for Lindbergh, who is renowned for his raw approach. “This was naked,” he said, “pure to what he does.”

For Leslie, it’s a collaborative dream come true. In a magazine interview last year, Leslie told the interviewer that her two main fashion inspirations are her grandmother and Moss. “One year later, I’m on a beach in France, shooting and working with Kate,” Leslie told the Palisadian-Post with an air of incredulousness.

Unsurprisingly, the campaign wasn’t cheap. It cost the Giffords more than $1 million to put together their dream team.

The all-out approach has given them “brand legitimacy,” Bruce said, as well as ample international press coverage. Their campaign will grace the cover of Vogue Italy next month, with Moss sporting Naked Cashmere’s Gigi sweater. “This is huge,” Leslie said.

Business has blurred with pleasure. Leslie said she and Kate have become fast friends and are already working on another (currently under wraps) project together this fall.

A series of connections and synergy linked the bi-coastal couple to their star-status collaborators. Four years ago, the couple had purchased a set of Kate Moss-curated photographs to decorate their apartment, and told their friend, who runs a large modeling agency, about their neat photo find. Their friend insisted they connect with Moss and Lipman.   

Lipman had “visions of cashmere” and wanted to work with Moss, Bruce explained, but nothing the Giffords were working on fit with the concept.

Bruce had his “aha!” moment at a business meeting in Hong Kong this spring; he realized the only thing that excited him business-wise was a direct-to-consumer cashmere business—which cuts the cost for customers nearly in half.

Suddenly the stakes loomed. “We could control the whole United States cashmere sweater business, like the Bruno Cucinellis of the US,” the Giffords, who have been married 33 years, said in unison. (They frequently finish each other’s sentences.)

Leslie said the experimental direct-to-consumer model gives her license to create luxurious, quality pieces that will be attainable by more than just the filthy rich.

The inaugural 35-style line features all-cashmere pieces for men and women, including sweaters, dresses, hats and more unique piece like crop tops and jumpsuits. (Yes, you can own a cashmere jumpsuit for $160.) There’s also a dedicated plus-size line.

The Giffords first left the hustle of New York City for the relative seclusion of the Palisades when they were expecting their son. According to Bruce, they chased family-friendly vibe of the Palisades out of the city and initially landed in upper-Marquez Knolls.

But the couple, who sold the domain sweater.com for nearly $12 million in 2006 and have been running their multi-brand casual knitwear company 360 Sweater since 2009, brought their apparel obsession west.

“It’s what we talked about over dinner,” Bruce said, explaining that their children were destined to end up in the business. “They saw me going back to Hong Kong since they were born. Leslie used to go to the tradeshows. It’s part of their life. They know, oh, it’s January, the fall line must be opening.”

Their new SoCal environs inspired their aesthetic and set them apart from other sweater-centric companies. According to Bruce, there are very few sweater companies based in Los Angeles.

“We had kind of a west coast, causal lifestyle. We treated colors a little differently, we treated life a little differently and everyone reacted well,” Bruce said.

Leslie said they quickly became engrained in the community. Bruce served as president of Kehillat Israel from 2001-03. Leslie became close friends with former Palisadian Maria Shriver and donated sweaters to speakers at The Women’s Conference, which Shriver helped thrive.  The couple continues to donate slightly damaged or irregular sweaters to women’s shelters around the country.

“I’ve been given so much, it feels so good to give back,” Leslie said. “And I wanted to share that as a company motto.”