About Us

Brigitte Holthausen was born in Brazil but took a decisive step towards realizing her dreams by moving to New Orleans, Louisiana at age 16. Realizing her talent to pull together an exotic assortment of products that set her apart from the other vendors, Brigitte started selling sandals, jewelry, and backpacks at the Historic French Market, a 200 year-old marketplace in the heart of New Orleans.

In 1993 Brigitte met her husband, Luciano Holthausen, who had a strong business background and shared her Brazilian heritage. Luciano saw many opportunities in New Orleans and the very next year they teamed up to open a small boutique on Chartres Street—and HEMLINE was officially born!

Today, Hemline continues to grow and has become a veritable style empire. The brand has truly become a trusted and sought-after resource for covetable fashion in New Orleans and throughout the Southeast. There are currently 32 locations across Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee.

Many of the early generation of Hemline employees are now business owners of their own, raising children and families. Others continue to build the Hemline business as franchise owners. Today, Brigitte continues to find new and innovative ways to delight and connect with her customers. Her unique eye for style, which attracted so much attention in the French Market, continues to define Hemline as an ultimate shopping destination. Here at Hemline we like to say we have lavender blood in our veins- a reference to the iconic Hemline bags toted around town-and our iconic logo and presence for 29 years!

LEARN HOW OWN A HEMLIME