Joseph L. Murphy President & CEO
Joseph L. Murphy is the president and chief executive officer of JLM Couture, Inc. which he co-founded in 1988. JLM Couture is a leader in the bridal design and manufacturing industry, housing award-winning brands which include Lazaro, Jim Hjelm, Alvina Valenta, and Tara Keely. Mr. Murphy became the controlling shareholder of the company in 1994, and shortly thereafter began to implement a strategy to dramatically expand and improve the brands offered by the company. His early days as a barn-storming fund raiser for small companies put him in a unique position to recruit and assemble the talent and financing for his own venture, JLM Couture, and he is generally regarded as the innovator of the multi-label bridal design house. Recalling early inspiration and how JLM Couture came to be, Mr. Murphy said, "Back in the 1980's I became intrigued by the luxury goods category of the fashion business. I looked at LVMH and how some of the old movie studios operated and asked, 'why couldn't we do the same in bridal?' I was dating a fashion model at the time and met some designers. Then I met Jim Hjelm, put together a business plan, and that was it."
Today, JLM Couture operates eight bridal labels, covering a broad spectrum of aspirational, or mid-luxury, price points. Recently, in order to adapt to and remain competitive in the changing economic times, the company launched two new brands with more moderate price points: Blush and Tara Keely.
Mr. Murphy has a BA from UCLA where he also attended the Anderson School of Management, studying accounting and management. He is an avid basketball fan and a successful amateur coach, having guided several intermediate age teams to championship titles.
