La Ligne founders mark 10 years with friendship and full ownership
Three friends started a clothing label. Ten years later, they still own it outright.
Molly Howard, Valerie Macaulay and Meredith Melling, the cofounders of La Ligne, the New York-based fashion brand, spoke in New York at the 2026 WWD x FN x Beauty Inc Women in Power event. Their session was titled "Made Together: Friendship, Ambition & the Future of Fashion" and was moderated by WWD news director Lisa Lockwood. WWD
The titles tell the split. Howard is chief executive officer. Melling is chief brand officer. Macaulay is chief creative officer.
They came from different sides of the industry. Melling and Macaulay worked together at Vogue before founding La Ligne. Howard worked in business development at Rag & Bone.
La Ligne was founded in 2016 and is celebrating its 10th anniversary. La Ligne is a ready-to-wear label, meaning clothes made in standard sizes and sold off the rack. Its board consists of only its three founders, with no outside seats.
That independence shapes how the label presents itself. La Ligne launched La Bande, a portrait series featuring wearers styling La Ligne pieces in their own way. It also entered a collaboration with Banana Republic that was initiated by Banana Republic.
An earlier anniversary project put actor Connie Britton at the front of a La Ligne campaign. WWD
What makes this stand out for general readers is simple. Fashion partnerships often end. This one did not. The founders described friendship as working practice, not backstory, with each partner holding a defined role and an equal vote.
