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M.M. LaFleur has named Jennifer Cote as design director, the first time the 12-year-old company has had someone in this role.
Cote has held senior design roles at Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, and most recently, Theory. In her new role at M.M. LaFleur, she will oversee every visual aspect of the brand, reporting to Sarah LaFleur, founder and chief executive officer.
Cote enters the New York-based company as Miyako Nakamura, co-founder and chief creative officer, has exited. Cole worked alongside Nakamura for several months in advance of Nakamura’s departure. Nakamura plans to freelance as creative consultant.
During Nakamura’s tenure, she and LaFleur redefined the modern woman’s wardrobe, originally starting with a clothing subscription service to help women get dressed for work.
An image from M.M. LaFleur’s ad campaign.
Thomas Kelly Slack, courtey of M.M. LaFleur
M.M. La Fleur was founded in 2013 by LaFleur, a former management consultant, who was frustrated by a lack of women’s workwear options that were both stylish and practical. Today the brand has eight stores in cities such as New York (2), Washington, D.C., Georgetown, Boston (2), Chicago and Philadelphia. Since COVID era lows, M.M. LaFleur has been in a period of significant re-growth. Gross profit is up 144 percent since 2020, and M.M. LaFleur’s owned stores were profitable in 2024.
M.M. LaFleur also sells such wholesale accounts as Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s, in addition to its own online business and retail stores. As part of its online business, M.M. LaFleur also has a Bento Styling Service, where its stylists put together a look book of five to seven pieces based on the customer’s style and fit preferences.
“I always said that Miyako was my ‘other life partner’ (the first being my husband), and over the past 14 years of our partnership, we built so many things together: a beautiful team, a brand we are both proud of, and a genuine friendship that will last forever, even if our business partnership dissolves,” said LaFleur. “Miyako and I both knew when the time was right for her to take her next step. The first person that Miyako thought as her successor was Jenn.”
An ad image from M.M. LaFleur
Thomas Kelly Slack, courtesy of M.M. LaFleur F
LaFleur said they ended up interviewing dozens of candidates, but Nakamura’s first instinct was the right one.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be joining the M.M. LaFleur team,” said Cote. “Over the last few months as I’ve gotten to know the team, I’ve been so inspired by Sarah LaFleur’s vision for empowering modern women through thoughtful, elevated and truly beautiful designs that are both stylish and functional – the kind of pieces which would have a home in every woman’s closet.”
She said she has long admired M.M. La Fleur’s luxe fabrics, precise fit and proportion and “unparalleled garment construction.” She is also excited to build upon the foundation built by Nakamura, who struck a balance between more structured styling and casual pieces.
She said she looks forward to exploring the M.M. ethos through her own design aesthetic and background at such firms as Theory, DVF and Kors, among others. She said her goal “is to make getting dressed a joyful ritual where women feel confident and strong.”
Cote will pay a major role in the overall aesthetic of M.M. LaFleur’s collection, from creating inspiration boards, concept, color palettes, sketching, fitting, selecting prints and fabric and marketing and look book styling.
Beyond fashion, M.M. LaFleur champions women in the workplace through initiatives like “Ready to Run,” which provides clothing for women running for office, and “M.M. Mentors,” a platform for fostering career connections.
