Lifestyle

Brands to watch 2022!!! Meet Ladaire! The Designer Brand for The Modern Woman

Published

4 years ago

January 8, 2022

Meet Lilit Madanyan, founder and CEO of the California-bred luxury brand, Ladaire. A few years ago, after life appeared to turn upside down for the company owner leaving her jobless and defeated, she took the reigns and decided to create the next industry-changing wardrobe for the modern woman.

Madanyan had earned her years’ worth of extensive experience in fashion as a fabric specialist for several high-end brands such as BCBG and Juicy Couture. Eventually, she ended up working for a smaller luxury brand that allowed her to expand her horizons and get her feet wet in product development. But after the company suffered grave losses and closed its doors, the now-CEO was left in the dark.

After a few words of encouragement from her husband, Madanyan decided she would try her hand at creating a fresh approach to the classy woman’s closet. She dedicated herself to doing what she never in a million years believed she would do; she created her own line. And in 2017, Ladaire opened its virtual doors. Early on, she decided that the brand would offer sophisticated styles designed with exceptional quality, but that her customers would not be paying an arm and a leg for them. “It was really important to me to keep the brand price conscious,” the founder said. “We wanted to offer women a way to one-up their wardrobes without completely emptying their bank accounts. And we really pride ourselves on providing high quality products while keeping affordable price tags.” Initially, the brand was notorious for their silk dresses, eveningwear, and powersuits. But as of late, the collections have been expanding into providing an entire essentials closet, including loungewear and intimates.

Needless to say, the company owner says the brand has been seeing “tremendous growth”. Customers have adored the pieces and their high-quality fabrics, but more importantly, they’ve stood by the brand while it has released new pieces unlike those from their typical collections. Thanks to their loyalty to the brand, the company was able to open its first Brick and Mortar location in The Americana at Brand shopping mall located in Glendale, California. The direct-to-consumer brand has slowly been expanding nationwide, while also designing entirely new and innovative pieces for the seasons to come.

But it wasn’t always the up-and-up for Ladaire. Madanyan tells us that creating and managing the brand has been a roller coaster since day one, but that she’s learned several essential lessons along the way that has led her to reach pivotal success. “When we had just started creating pieces for the collections a few years back, we were still doing our wear tests on fit models,” she explained. “The fit process is extensive– there’s a wear test, there’s the judging of the functionality of the garment, and there’s also making sure that the pieces fit on a body to the company’s standards. But for some reason, although the pieces looked great on the models, they weren’t fitting the customers as great as I would’ve liked them to. So, I started implementing self-fitting in order to expand our sizes to fit more proportionately to the average body. So far, it’s been the most effective change we’ve ever made.”

Since customer feedback has become crucial for Madanyan and the future of her brand, she likes to visit the store twice a week to get to know her customers and their desires. The more hands-on she’s become, the more she’s been able to provide her customer base with what they’re missing in their closet. So far, it’s been a successful business tactic.

And when she’s not busy running a fashion company, the CEO is usually taking care of her household and her three children. When we ask her how she keeps up with the chaos, she replies: “there’s no other way to get through than to keep going.”

So, what’s next for Ladaire? Well, according to the lady boss, a lot is currently in the works. For one, the CEO plans to invade Beverley Hills by opening another storefront. There is likely to be a few more free-standing Ladaire stores coming nationwide in the next few years. And, of course, more collections are coming. The CEO hinted at potentially expanding the brand into mens’ and children’s wear, but that won’t be for another few years. In the meantime, the lux line will be introducing two new categories: sweaters and shoes. We promised not to give too many details away, but rumor has it that the pieces will be created using the finest essentials imported straight from Italy. So, you definitely won’t want to miss out.

To shop some of the classic pieces from Ladaire, and to stay up-to-date on their upcoming collections, visit https://www.ladaire.com/ or follow the brand at @ladaireofficial on Instagram.

Lifestyle

Confronting Propaganda: Street Smart Documents Honest Reactions to Gaza Indoctrination Footage

Published

5 hours ago

November 6, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo Courtesy of: Street Smart

Byline: Michelle Langton

In a recent project, the Street Smart team gathered 20 strangers and presented them with propaganda footage from Gaza that has circulated widely online but remains largely unfamiliar to many audiences. The aim wasn’t to provoke outrage or test media literacy in a classroom setting. It was to capture raw, unfiltered emotional reactions to material that reveals how narratives are formed at the source. The resulting video offers a candid look at how people process shocking content and how their perceptions shift when they see what is rarely shown on mainstream platforms.

The Structure of the Experiment

The format was simple. Participants were seated and shown a series of clips from Gaza, including children’s programming and broadcasts containing intense ideological messaging. No background information was provided, and viewers were not instructed on how to interpret what they were seeing. After watching, they were asked for immediate reactions.

The footage elicited a wide range of emotions. Some viewers were stunned by the content, admitting they had never seen anything like it before. Others expressed disbelief, questioning why this kind of material isn’t more widely discussed. A few were visibly shaken, saying the experience fundamentally altered their understanding of the situation.

By presenting the footage without narration or added commentary, Street Smart allowed participants’ genuine responses to emerge. The experiment revealed how propaganda can affect an entire generation. It can shock, unsettle, and force people to reconsider their assumptions.

Why This Project Matters

Sage Fox and Dorani aligned the purpose of this experiment with Street Smart’s broader mission of challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thought among younger audiences. In an environment where footage spreads rapidly across digital platforms, propaganda can shape public opinion long before context catches up.

By showing the Gaza Indoctrination footage in a controlled setting and recording uncoached responses, the team aimed to expose the emotional and cognitive impact of this type of content.

“The first reaction is often the most revealing, because it shows how powerful images can be without context.”

The Range of Reactions

While each participant brought their own perspective, several themes emerged. Some expressed sympathy with the imagery itself, saying it was emotionally powerful.

One participant said, “It makes me question what I see online every day. How much of it is shaped this way?”

Their comments highlight how propaganda resonates differently depending on prior knowledge and exposure. Many viewers have simply never encountered such footage directly.

Street Smart’s Approach

This project continues a pattern established by Sage Fox & Dorani’s earlier videos. Rather than relying on experts or lengthy analysis, Street Smart focuses on real people and their honest reactions. The approach is simple but effective. Present potent material, listen to what people say, and share those moments with a wider audience.

The Gaza Indoctrination footage experiment fits this model. It doesn’t attempt to draw final conclusions or offer political commentary. Instead, it documents how people respond when they’re exposed to narratives that are usually filtered through intermediaries.

Implications for Media Literacy

Beyond its viral potential, the video raises broader questions about how people interact with powerful imagery online. Propaganda operates on emotional reflexes. As this experiment shows, those reflexes are often unexamined until they’re brought to the surface.

Sage Fox & Dorani hope that projects like this push audiences to think more critically about what they see and share.

“The purpose is not to tell people what to believe. It is to remind them that every image comes from somewhere, and that source matters,” they said.

Next Steps for Street Smart

As Street Smart’s platform grows, Sage Fox & Dorani plan to conduct similar experiments in different contexts. They intend to use their direct, street-level approach to highlight how people react when presented with challenging material.

The Gaza footage project is one piece of a larger mission. The team uses simple methods to shed light on complex issues. By focusing on authentic reactions, they continue to build a unique space in online media that blends cultural investigation with raw human response.

A Window into Unfiltered Thought

“We showed 20 strangers real propaganda footage from Gaza — and filmed their unfiltered reactions” is not a dramatic exposé or academic study. It is a clear, unmediated record of how individuals respond when confronted with material designed to persuade. In that restraint lies its strength.

By documenting these moments, Street Smart shows how awareness can begin with a pause. A brief space between seeing and believing.