Inside Lilly Pulitzer’s Pink-and-Green Headquarters
Photo: Amy Lombard
The Lilly Pulitzer for Target collaboration made headlines last month after the collection sold out within half an hour of hitting brick-and-mortar stores — confirming that, debates about the fashion merits and exclusivity of the lineage-connoting clothes aside, the ultrapreppy brand is alive and well. Curious about the most extreme fluorescent-floral-wearing Lilly devotees, the Cut sent photographer Amy Lombard inside the Lilly Pulitzer headquarters in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (a.k.a. “The Pink Palace”) — a macaron-filled corporate cabana where Spice Girls tracks play in the cafeteria, jewel-toned pedicures are de rigueur, and employee perks include “inspiration trips” to Tulum.
Click through the slideshow for a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most successful lifestyle brands to date — including freeze-dried palm trees, employees dressed in matching jumpsuits, tropical mood boards, and more.
Ingrid Johnson, 30, Senior Associate Designer, Print and Pattern "I actually met my two best friends, who are identical twins, because...
Ingrid Johnson, 30, Senior Associate Designer, Print and Pattern "I actually met my two best friends, who are identical twins, because one was wearing a vintage Lilly skirt. It was pink-and-green zebras. They didn’t even know what it was, they just bought it at a thrift store. We went to Temple University as undergrads. We met at the Freshman Splash Party."
Jose Rainier Cuadra, Visual director, 37 "I studied three years of sports medicine. I was gonna be like a physical therapist. But after waki...
Jose Rainier Cuadra, Visual director, 37 "I studied three years of sports medicine. I was gonna be like a physical therapist. But after waking up at 4 a.m. every day training different sports teams every season, I was just like, 'I’m not into this.' So I ended up getting a business degree."
Kelsey Harris, 23, Assistant Accessories Designer "My mom had a really good handbag collection growing up so I always coveted her handbags. ...
Kelsey Harris, 23, Assistant Accessories Designer "My mom had a really good handbag collection growing up so I always coveted her handbags. I feel like that’s how I kind of got into fashion, and then started reading magazines and went to design school."
Eleni Tavantzis, 31, Senior Manager, Social-Media Marketing and Public Relations Some of your longtime customers criticized making the brand’s pa...
Eleni Tavantzis, 31, Senior Manager, Social-Media Marketing and Public Relations Some of your longtime customers criticized making the brand’s partnership with Target because Lilly Pulitzer supposedly represents luxe living.
That was when we realized as a brand that maybe we haven’t always done a good enough job of telling the story of Lilly. Lilly herself was ultrainclusive. When I talk about the wild parties that she threw, she was known for always inviting her favorite gardener, and the heiress next door in Palm Beach. Everybody was in the kitchen helping make the fruit salad, pour the Bloody Marys — everybody got their hands dirty. Everybody got to party.
Shooney Frederic, 29, Sample Maker If I knew how to sew, I’d try to get on Project Runway.
I think it’s so stressful. I watch them and I see how...
Shooney Frederic, 29, Sample Maker If I knew how to sew, I’d try to get on Project Runway.
I think it’s so stressful. I watch them and I see how emotional they get. I would probably be backstage crying every single step of the way.
Olivia Maurer, 14 months
Marielle Nestor, 25, Product Development and Production "I just got back from Texas for work. I went to a sweater-manufacturing seminar. Tha...
Marielle Nestor, 25, Product Development and Production "I just got back from Texas for work. I went to a sweater-manufacturing seminar. That was a lot of fun. Three weeks ago I got back from China, traveling for work, visiting the factories. We got to see our resort line. It’ll be out around Christmas."
(This image shows the personal illustrations of an employee not pictured in this story.)
Sharrie Lister Booker, 47, Vice President of Production "I thought Boy George was fabulous. I actually took down my mom’s curtains, tie-dyed...
Sharrie Lister Booker, 47, Vice President of Production "I thought Boy George was fabulous. I actually took down my mom’s curtains, tie-dyed them, and made them into long tunic pants because I wanted to look like him. My mom and dad were away for the weekend and they came home to find the kitchen curtains had been changed because I cut the other ones up. They were pulling out their hair."
Marghi Adzick, Jenna Burnip, Lia Parameritis
Abby Ip, 27, Senior Associate Fashion Designer Did you get the dress first or the shoes? &n...
Abby Ip, 27, Senior Associate Fashion Designer Did you get the dress first or the shoes?
The dress. The shoes came last year. They’re from Charlotte Olympia, so I had to get them shipped from Belgium because they were sold out here. I’m glad they fit.
Jenna Burnip, 27, Interactive design supervisor “I’m really into beer. I brew it with my husband. I live in a townhouse and I was insistent ...
Jenna Burnip, 27, Interactive design supervisor “I’m really into beer. I brew it with my husband. I live in a townhouse and I was insistent that we have a gravel 'beer garden' area in our backyard, so I recently carried three tons of gravel through my house in buckets to build this. It’s great and we use it all the time!"
Lia Parameritis, 29 Senior Merchandising Associate "My parents used to send me to Greece for the summer. I would go and stay with my grandma...
Lia Parameritis, 29 Senior Merchandising Associate "My parents used to send me to Greece for the summer. I would go and stay with my grandma, who was a seamstress for the town. She loved fashion — she was like my Jackie O. She always wore these fun outfits and all the accessories. That's stuck with me since I was a little girl."
Kat Franklin, 24, Business Development Associate "We have so much fun here. You can’t take yourself too seriously when there are freeze-drie...
Kat Franklin, 24, Business Development Associate "We have so much fun here. You can’t take yourself too seriously when there are freeze-dried palm trees in the middle of your office."
Paige Smith, 30, Senior Designer Have you been with the company long enough that you’ve seen your designs through to completion?
Oh yeah. It’s s...
Paige Smith, 30, Senior Designer Have you been with the company long enough that you’ve seen your designs through to completion?
Oh yeah. It’s surreal. It’s really fun. You kind of feel like you’re friends with the people on the street that you see because they’re in your prints.
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