Marlo Hampton Shares How Being a “Munty” Inspired Her Latest Fashion Business
The Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member launched her fashion rental service, Le' Archive, after she became the guardian of her two nephews.
Marlo Hampton has two great loves in life: fashion and family. Before she was a cast member on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Marlo was a stylist, designer, and boutique owner. In 2020, the fashionista added "munty" (mom/auntie) to her impressive titles while helping raise her two nephews, Michael and William.
During the same year, Marlo launched Le' Archive, a fashion showroom that has over 5,000 luxury designer items available for rent, all curated by the label-lover herself from her personal collection. Le' Archive includes an exquisite selection of runway and archival pieces from over 100 designers, featuring everything from clothes and shoes to accessories and home decor.
Marlo recently shared the inspiration behind her latest fashion venture in a recent interview with Vogue, and there's a sweet connection to her beloved boys. “One day, I was laying down thinking, what am I going to do? I think I may be a full-time munty,” Marlo explained. “I had all these clothes upstairs. I knew I wasn’t selling them on eBay, but I had to take care of these boys. At first, I was like, ‘okay, maybe you should sell them.’ But then immediately I said, ‘there’s no way I can sell them.’ I kept thinking ‘that’s my first gown from Paris I purchased 10 years ago. There’s no way I can sell this or this PVC bag that no one can get. That’s like $10,000 or $11,000.’ So, as I was laying down, I said I’m going to start a showroom where you can rent these clothes.”
Clearly, her devotion to her nephews runs deep — and so does her passion for style, which, she says, stemmed from her upbringing. “Fashion is just in my DNA,” Marlo explained. “I was raised in [project housing], but, at the time, my biological mom would go to the Goodwill to get our clothes, come home, wash them in the tub, and hang them on the line all for us to be the best-dressed kids in Maplewood. People don’t understand it’s so serious to me, and [I understand other] people may not take it as seriously. Fashion’s been there to uplift me when I’ve been down. It really is a part of me, a part of who I really am in my heart and mind.”
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