When Stephen Curd was a young boy, his grandmother Eva Lavelle taught him how to sew and instilled in him the virtues or quality, patience, and craft. When he was in college studying nursing, they wrote back and forth as pen pals and shared dreams, old stories and a love of clothing. It was Eva that suggested that Stephen take an art class so that he could express himself creatively when things were stressful. Little did they know, that it would lead to a career change and something Stephen would fall deeply in love with. Her love and support is what Stephen needed to make the shift and excel in the fashion world. After graduating in 2008 with a BA in menswear, Stephen launched his first ready to wear collection under the name GaricStephens specializing in custom clothing and accessories and has been designing ever since. In 2017 Stephen opened up his first flagship store in the foothill mountains of Southwest Virginia and named the store after his beloved grandmother as her namesake.
It's thanks to her that Stephen went into design, and it's because of her that Lavelle exists. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to Eva, and we hope that something of her spirit lives on in each product we make.
