CAMI TÉLLEZ TALKS HER NEW VENTURE🚀

FROM PARADE TO L'EGGS

Most of us know Cami Téllez as the founder of Parade, and for good reason. Under her leadership, the brand generated over $125M in revenue, reached more than 750K customers, and captured over 1% market share. Beyond these numbers, the true impact she and the brand made was on a human level: building a platform rooted in community and creating products that helped people feel seen. And sexy. In so many ways, she paved the way for the brands we know and love today.

We vividly remember hearing about Cami’s departure from the company she built along with a specific part of her statement to the press: “…this is the first inning of my story. Stay tuned.” Today, her next inning begins, as Cami takes on the role of Executive Creative Director and Board Advisor at legacy brand, L’eggs:

L'eggs

L’eggs was founded in 1969 as the first brand to support the new American woman entering the workplace. This disruptive energy extended beyond their mission to every aspect of their business. In terms of product innovation, they were the first to commercialize graduated compression, memory yarn, and run-resistant technology. They also created the iconic egg-shaped packaging we still love and reference today.

Today, the brand is led by a new team who carry forward their mission to empower women with a renewed focus on generational inclusivity. They’re embracing this mission with a bold new visual identity and the introduction of new products. In addition to their beloved Silken Mist and Sheer Energy lines, they are launching the 360 Contour Tights, designed with uniquely engineered panels to smooth and lift, available in sizes up to 2X. Beyond hosiery, they also plan to expand into new categories, including shapewear, leggings, and socks.

We had the honor of chatting with Cami about L’eggs’ next chapter, diving into the following sections: Brand Vision and Audience, Visual Identity and Creative Direction, and Retail and Amplification. This is undoubtedly one of our top three interviews to date. Here’s everything Cami shared:

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BRAND VISION + AUDIENCE

L'eggs

The comeback of L’eggs is particularly interesting given the current state of the shapewear and hosiery markets, which have exploded over the past couple of years with brands like Spanx, Parade, and SKIMS, among others. The modern customer wants, and deserves, more: a wider range of offerings that appeal to a broader size range, better quality products at affordable prices, and a stronger emphasis on standing for something deeper, especially when it comes to environmental impact.

The L’eggs brand today embodies all of this and more, recognizing the importance of creating innovative products while also being inclusive across generations. This presents arguably the greatest challenge and opportunity for Cami: honoring their past while doing so in a way that excites and appeals to a new generation of customers. We asked her all about this below:

PEOPLE BRANDS AND THINGS: How do you strike a balance between honoring the brand’s legacy and embracing a more modern approach to appeal to both longtime fans and new audiences?

Cami Tellez: In the U.S., we don’t have the luxury of a deep bench of long-standing legacy brands as they do in Europe. A big reason I was drawn to this project was that L’eggs is a rare exception—a true American icon with real heritage and awareness in tens of millions of women. Today, we’re still in close to 30,000 stores (many of which we’re the only hosiery brand on the shelf) and continue to own a double digit percentage of the hosiery category. 

L’eggs holds a unique place in American fashion history because everyone has a L’eggs story, whether it’s their mom wearing them or memories of the iconic egg packaging–if you’re reading this and don’t know L’eggs, call your mom! 

You look at Vacation sunscreen (which I love) and many of these other companies that are paging the 70's and 80’s as a way to signal timelessness and permanence–and I keep telling the team: “this is our actual history!” 

L'eggs

The journey to modernize L'eggs wasn’t about rewriting its story but actually about reconnecting with the essence that first defined it. In every stitch, every curve, we found the brand’s original intent—supporting women, accessibility, bold design, and innovative product—waiting to be revived.

PBT: L’eggs was initially focused on supporting the modern woman entering the workforce. How has that focus evolved strategically and creatively, and who is the L’eggs consumer today?

CT: L'eggs was originally created for the woman entering the workforce, providing her with an essential wardrobe staple as she navigated a new era of professional life. Today, tights have evolved into a powerful form of self-expression and fashion–we’re seeing it on the runway at Miu Miu, Fendi, Blumarine, Sandy Liang. But it’s also serving as a connective layer that offers not only style but functional benefits like shaping and compression.

However, we’ve always had a deep heritage in solutions–L’eggs democratized control top, graduated compression, and run-resistant technology. With 30 years of experience and real feedback from women, we re-engineered tights from the ground up to craft 360 Contour. Over 75% of women have told us they want shaping legwear, so we’ve worked with the world’s most innovative hosiery factories to 3D knit the softest sustainable fibers into panels that tuck your waist, smooth your tummy, and lift your butt. 

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VISUAL IDENTITY + CREATIVE DIRECTION

In putting this piece together, we came across an interesting article titled “How L’eggs’ Package-First Strategy Created an Iconic Brand,” which dives into the origin story of the L’eggs branding, now celebrated in settings like the Museum of Modern Art. The TLDR:

• Branding Firm: Lubalin, Smith, and Carnase - the firm behind Pepsi, PBS, and CBS - assigned the project to designer Roger Ferriter.

• Packaging: While pantyhose were traditionally displayed in flat packaging, they could also be scrunched up and fit into an orb-shaped container. An egg also symbolizes freshness and new life, perfect for a new brand in a crowded market.

• Name and Logo: Egg + Leg = L’eggs. The logo was designed with lowercase “g’s” to connect the brand identity to the egg packaging, and the apostrophe was meant to add a touch of French chicness.

This entire history is genuinely so interesting that we could write about it all day long. But for the purpose of this piece, we asked Cami to talk more about the evolution of the visual identity and how they plan to incorporate the egg-shaped packaging and displays into this new chapter. We also had to ask her about her strategy for developing new campaigns, a significant part of her work at Parade:

L’eggs

PBT: Can you walk us through the mood board for the new visual identity and unpack any specific visual references that inspired the direction?

CT: Though L’eggs tights are no longer sold in plastic eggs, the updated art direction and photography mark a bold shift back into a fashion-forward vision seen in L’eggs advertising throughout the 20th century. Each photograph draws inspiration from 1990s fashion photography (think specifically Richard Avedon) featuring authentic painted muslin backdrops that create a layered, tactile, and organic aesthetic. This approach captures the energy and vibrancy of the brand’s original spirit while looking toward an exciting future. Every piece of packaging is designed as a unique, collectible fashion image—combining nostalgia with contemporary style, and making each piece a statement of both heritage and modernity. 

For product, we look at the nexus of trend and timelessness, which is obviously a narrow window that allows us to create with a focused purpose. Yes, we’ll do a leopard tight, but it will be inspired by D&G’s S/S 2000 showa and Alaia photoshoots in 1991. If it’s a red, we’ll look at Tom Ford’s Gucci and Betsey Johnson in 1999. We have the game ball–there’s no reason for us to veer off course after 55 years of measured, thoughtful creations. 

PBT: Building campaigns around new collections was a big focus at Parade and is something we're seeing with other brands in the space like SKIMS. How do you plan to bring that strategy to L’eggs?

CT: You’ll see a lot less from us–we’re a much older brand with higher brand awareness and we want to rebuild slowly. There’s no rush–we’re planning for the next 55 years. We’re excited to explore L’eggs Editions, collaborations with other brands where we can apply their heritage, print language, and energy to our canvas. Tights are becoming the red lipstick of the apparel company and it’s something that many brands want to do but don’t have the right supply chain around. So we can jump in and create something that’s the best expression of what they do and in turn, elevate our brand. 

PBT: The iconic egg-shaped packaging and retail displays were memorable parts of the L’eggs brand. How are you bringing these elements back, and how are you modernizing them for today’s consumer?

CT: The original L'eggs wordmark, designed by Roger Ferritter, is a now-legendary piece of sculptural typography. The clever ligatures, tight kerning, bold lettering, and chicklets-as-lowercase-Gs create a mark that sparks joy—once you see it, you can’t unsee it. 

And if you see that mark in the L’eggs advertising of the 1970s and 1980s, it’s easy to label it as “retro”, “groovy,” or “dated.” Yet if you saw that mark, those chicklets, as a brand new piece of design in the sea of sans serif, reductivist logotypes, few can deny the cleverness of the letterforms. 

As for the egg, I’m excited that everyone has such a deep connection to that nostalgic element of the brand–it’s the first thing everyone asks me: “are you bringing back the egg?” You’ll see the egg return in a more upscale, high fashion way. 

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RETAIL + AMPLIFICATION

Apart from its direct-to-consumer presence on the newly revamped leggs.com, the brand is launching with a major retail presence across Target.com, Kohl’s, Lulu’s, and Amazon. This spring, they plan to roll out to 1,000 Target stores nationwide. This is all part of their larger plan to be everywhere, reinforcing their commitment to accessibility, especially in terms of convenience. As Cami says herself, “We envision a world where every store you walk into—drug, food, mass—you can find stylish, sustainable fashion basics at a price you love.”

Apart from building a strong retail presence, we asked Cami about their plans to amplify the product from a marketing and advertising perspective. Specifically, we wanted to know what channels and platforms they’ll leverage to appeal not only to longtime fans of the L’eggs brand but also to a new generation of consumer.. As we know from the brands we cover, two key ingredients to any successful brand are cultural relevance and community. Here’s what Cami had to say about that:

PBT: You’ve mentioned wanting the brand to “play in the cultural arena.” What specific cultural spaces and moments are you planning to activate, from advertising to experiential and beyond?

CT: To re-establish L'eggs in the context of fashion, we’re focused on partnerships that elevate the brand’s status within style culture. This means working with celebrity stylists to incorporate L'eggs into streetstyle, showing how versatile tights can be styled across designer collections. Collaborating with fashion brands will also play a huge role in extending L’eggs’ reach; by aligning with brands known for iconic print and color, we’re demonstrating that tights can be central to a contemporary wardrobe. By positioning L'eggs alongside industry tastemakers, we’re not just present in fashion spaces—we’re actively contributing to their narrative.

PBT: Community is essential for brands today, something you know well from building Parade. How do you plan on building a strong sense of community around L’eggs?

Building a L'eggs community means creating a space where consumers feel connected to the brand’s heritage while also feeling empowered to interpret their fashion in their own way. Inspired by my experience with Parade, we’ll focus on two things: creating a dialogue and inspiring expression. This will involve engaging content, including social media challenges that invite users to share how they style L'eggs, and community-centric activations that bring together diverse voice across all generations–which is critical to the L’eggs DNA as a 55 year old brand. 

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A huge thank you to Cami for taking the time to speak with us. There's no doubt we'll be seeing L’eggs everywhere, and we're extremely interested in the future of the brand, especially their marketing efforts, from influencer, to experiential, to out-of-home (OOH), and beyond. We'll be covering everything they do on our Instagram and Substack, so stay tuned for all the details. We'll also share an unfiltered review of the products (thank you Cami!) if anyone is interested. Excited for their next chapter!

Want to submit a pitch? Email (or DM) us: peoplebrandsandthings@gmail.com