Joss Sackler is a fashion entrepreneur, chief executive officer, doctorate degree holder, socialite, philanthropist, and mother of three. The female powerhouse became the face and founder of private social club, LBV, in 2017, when she decided she was tired of the male-dominated atmosphere within the existing social societies in New York City. Initially, the all-women’s club was created to discuss the attributes of wine. But as its member count grew, so did its list of interests. Now, LBV focuses on providing high-end experiences centered around culture, art, literature, and much more. Not to mention–the social club is the only one of its kind with its own designer clothing line.

The ready-to-wear collection comes from a combination of member-inspired interests, according to Sackler and the brand’s creative director, Elizabeth Kennedy. Kennedy was brought on as the head designer of the line shortly after the release of LBV’s heavily criticized inaugural collection in 2019 consisting of rock climbing themed athleisure wear, merely meant to serve as “emblematic” gear for the social club. She is a Parsons graduate with extensive experience in the couture realm of fashion, priorly working with prestigious fashion houses such as Isaac Mizrahi, J.Mendel, and Donna Karan. Since assuming her role, the female duo has successfully ventured six seasons of remarkably designed capsules, each of which have participated in three consecutive years of New York Fashion Week. The brand aims to embody the style of a powerful, strong-minded woman who is ready to conquer the world with her confidence and professionalism, while not losing touch of her femininity.

All collections are released direct-to-consumer through the brand’s e-commerce website. While previous collections have been found through high-end retailers in the past, the brand chose to make the switch to the new business model following the detrimental effects of a global pandemic on luxury department stores. Both entities of LBV have gone fully virtual since the nationwide lockdown in early 2020. “All the events for the social club are now done via Zoom, which has actually allowed us to incorporate more events for the members since we don’t have any of the stressors of the in-person events, like having to book a venue,” Sackler’s assistant, Allison Castillo, shared. “For our tasting events for example, we’ll send the wine over to the members and then discuss it on a video call.”

In philanthropic efforts, Sackler redirected all garment production resources to assist in generating over 5,000 face masks for New York City while it experienced a severe shortage on the front lines. Masks were donated to local organizations and hospitals in need, including New York Presbyterian and Mount Sinai. They have also become available on the brand’s website in a small range of neutral colors.

The newest member of the LBV family is a recently launched editorial magazine, which made its debut in November 2020. Issue One of the publication contains several detailed photographs of the most recent Fall/Winter capsule, along with spreads of articulately written articles centered around topics it shares in common with the social club: fashion, wine, and lavish lifestyle. The writers behind the stories are also members of the female driven society. While the magazine is not accessible to readers who are not part of the LBV community, Sackler, who is the editor-in-chief, shares that she’d like to broaden her audience in the issues to come.

In the end, regardless of negative press and undisclosed hardships, the down-to-earth socialite icon continues to commit to her brand, her team, her family, and herself beyond any obstacle. “I’ve learned that it’s okay to fail. We’re always working to make our experiences better,” she says. “The important thing is to keep pushing forward.”