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Women's Fashion
 Susan Fixel started LTM International six years ago. Today, the business is a multimillion-dollar venture and the only company in the U.S. licensed by Swarovski. |
Susan Fixel is no stranger to fashion. Six years ago, the 30-year fashion industry veteran started her own company, LTM International, based on an idea she had when flipping through fashion magazines on a cross-country business flight. "I was looking at ads for jeweled watches, like Chopard," she remembers, "and it came to me: There's got to be a way to take this jeweled motif into embellished tops." A phone call later to Swarovski to get permission to use the Austrian company's renowned crystals in her designs, and Bejeweled was born.
Today, it's a multimillion-dollar label selling tanks, tees and casual wear, with fans that include celebrities such as Sharon Stone, Beyonce and Sarah Jessica Parker. While she now employs eight designers, the line still features Fixel's original rock 'n' roll-inspired artwork, and hers is the only company in the U.S. licensed by Swarovski.
Based in Weston, Fixel spends 40 weeks a year on the road. She says it's difficult to run a fashion business out of Florida because so many of her sources, from knitting mills to fabric manufacturers, aren't here. She spends a third of her traveling time in Los Angeles, where she has a showroom and a huge following.
She used to make different designs for the East and West Coasts but says that Florida is now very much in tune with the edgier L.A. market. Her designs are sold in specialty boutiques such as A Nose for Clothes with several locations in south Florida and Annabella on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Department stores like Saks and Nordstrom also carry her labels.
Fixel has added clothing lines, with her newest, We the People Denim, a "bejeweled" take on denim, hitting stores this month.
She never envisioned her company would grow so big. "When I first started the business, I could put all my pieces in one carry-on," she says. "With over 500 designs, I wouldn't get it into four large suitcases today."
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