About
LAKESIDE ESSENTIALS LLC is an independent womenswear label making a small, deliberate collection of pieces that earn their place in your life.
It started with one trench coat
In 2019 our founder Chantee Renee Gonzales couldn't find a trench that was well cut, honestly made and priced without a luxury markup. So she had twenty-five of them made by a family atelier outside Porto — and sold every one from a pop-up in Tallahassee in six weeks.
Seven years later the idea hasn't changed. We design a tight collection, cut it in small runs, and keep it in the line for as long as it keeps working. Nothing is designed to be replaced next season.
— Chantee Renee Gonzales, Founder & Creative Director
Four rules we don't break
They cost us margin and they slow us down. They are also the reason our customers come back.
Natural fibres only
Silk, European flax linen, merino and GOTS-certified organic cotton. No polyester blends dressed up as luxury.
Traceable making
Two ateliers, both family-run, both visited twice a year. We publish what we pay per piece and who sews it.
Made to be mended
Free repairs for two years, and we keep spare buttons and thread for every style we have ever made.
Honest pricing
No seasonal sales theatre. Fair prices all year, one archive event in January, and that's it.
Fabric first, always
Every style begins with the cloth. If the hand-feel isn't right we don't cut it — even when the sample is already on the rail.
- European flax linen from a mill in Guimarães, Portugal
- 19-momme mulberry silk, OEKO-TEX certified
- Extra-fine merino from a mulesing-free flock in Tasmania
- Deadstock cotton poplin rescued from a shirt factory overrun
Seven years, quietly
We have grown at the pace of our ateliers — never faster than they can sew well.
Twenty-five trench coats
A pop-up in Tallahassee sells out in six weeks. The label is registered as an LLC the same autumn.
The linen shop opens
Our first full linen collection launches with the Porto atelier. Every piece sells through twice.
Repairs programme
Free mending for two years becomes standard on everything we make — 1,400 garments repaired so far.
Tallahassee showroom
A studio and fitting room on Lanier Street opens for appointments.
Twelve essentials
The capsule is distilled to twelve core styles, cut in runs of twenty-five.
Autumn / Winter 26
The new season collection lands, and the studio opens Saturday fittings by appointment.
“If a piece doesn't earn its place in your wardrobe for at least five years, we haven't done our job.”Chantee Renee Gonzales · LAKESIDE ESSENTIALS LLC
The pieces we reach for