Business Q&A: Runway Couture

When you want to look your best for a night out on the town and there’s simply nothing in your closet that works for the occasion at hand, Runway Couture just might be the answer to your fashion dilemma.

Still relatively new to the Bellmores, Runway Couture, which opened their doors at 2607 Merrick Road in July 2010, has been serving the fashion needs of the area with cutting-edge style and a singular flair for bringing out the true beauty of their clientele.

Runway Couture co-owner Kimberly Towers recently spoke to Patch about keeping the ladies of Bellmore looking their best.

Tell us all about what you do there at Runway Couture.

We specialize in that “red carpet” look. We’re an evening gown and cocktail wear specialist. We’re fashion designers here...we design and custom-make our own dresses as well as having an array of ready-to-wear as well. We specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.

And when we create something, we take into consideration what flatters the person most, and their personality. We do a little of everything, but it really has to reflect the person, what their event is, and of course, it has to make them look wonderful.

So, you actually create the dresses and outfits there yourselves?

Our custom ones, yes, we make them right here on the premises. We have incredible technical designers and dressmakers on-hand, and we make all sorts of beautiful fabrics, beads, French laces...we’re really well-known for our special custom fabrics.

What really makes us different is that we don’t have sales people here- we have designers. And that makes all the difference.

Tell us a little about your background and what got you into this field.

I’ve been a designer for 16 years now, and I love it...I absolutely love it. You grow every year, there’s always new inventions, and we’re always pushing ourselves to do different things, create something new, and hopefully we’re doing that.

We understand that your work has appeared at some high-profile events?

We really do for the red carpet...this year we’ve had some of our dresses at the Grammys, the SAG Awards, the Oscars. Our dresses have also been on TV as well -The Real Housewives of New York City, they wear them.

However, based on that, some people might think that we’re too expensive, but we also have a wide range of affordable, ready-to-wear items and dresses that are really beautiful as well.

What do you like about owning and operating a business in the Bellmore area?

I live in Merrick, so this is my home; I’ve always worked in this area, and to me, that’s a wonderful thing. I really love the people here and to run into my clients at restaurants and local places. I also make a point of supporting the local businesses myself. I believe in working where you live...that’s an important thing.