By Catherine Sodano

Former University student Ashleigh Hommel has come a long way since her days bustling back and forth over the unispan. Hommel is the co-owner and creative director of the new fashion accessory line called “OohLaLa Luxe” alongside partner Sophia Paraskevas, both 22. Their vintage line works hard to produce unique pieces.

“Within our company we have two different collections, OohLaLa Luxe and Vintage by OohLaLa Luxe. Every piece we create is handmade. Our Vintage line consists of authentic vintage brooches, which we combine with modern designer materials to create a fabulous assortment of one-of-a-kind pieces,” says Hommel. “The vintage brooch bracelets are one-of-a-kind, so you will never being wearing the same bracelet as someone else. Sophia and I hunt for antiques all throughout New York to find the most extraordinary brooches from decades in the past.”

Becoming successful young entrepreneurs in the fashion industry is a time-consuming investment, not only monetarily, but time wise as well. “Sophia and I split the responsibility-we both invested our own money to start our company and have worked together on everything from the start. We don’t work a 9-5 office job; however, I would say that our job is way more consuming than that. We’re constantly working, whether it’s creating our pieces or doing extensive market research to expand our business.”

Most recently, the girls have attracted attention from Newsday photographers who photographed their recent launch party. Hommel and Paraskevas launched their website on April 8 and have received a high amount of visits. The OohLaLa launch party shared their collection with their family and friends. The entire collection was for preview and sale. They sold over 60 headbands, as well as triple-wrap bracelets and a number of exclusive vintage brooch bracelets.

Their headbands are the most popular pieces, more specifically including the hippie headbands, and flower accents; celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Molly Sims and Taylor Swift have been spotted wearing similar accessory pieces such as the styles featured in OohLaLa Luxe.

The girls frequent New York City to observe fashion trends for inspiration in their spring and summer lines. In case you are on a budget, but want the stylish fashion accessories, the line as whole is moderately priced. The vintage line, marketed as being more exclusive and one-of-a-kind, is sold at a higher price. Each piece is different and the prices are listed on their website.

Hommel took a leave of absence from Boston University in Spring 2008 and attended the University for the last semester of her senior year. Given the opportunity to intern for the famous fashion mogul Diane von Furstenberg, she worked in the city two days a week and took a full schedule at the University on the other two days.

“Hofstra really supports students who are pursuing internships,” says Hommel. As a student here, she was given the opportunity to have “an amazing internship in New York” while excelling in her courses.

With hard work and exclusive pieces, OohLaLa Luxe has staying power. Girls across the metro area are walking around with this these swanky arm wraps and headbands in what is becoming a growing trend.

Operating in the fashion capital of the world is beneficial in itself. The girls stated that being within close proximity to Manhattan makes it easily accessible to trend-spot and spread their fashion sense to other women in the city.

“Ten years from now we hope to still be inspiring women to take chances by accessorizing their wardrobes,” said Hommel. “Fashion is about having fun and taking risks, and our pieces really allow you do that. There are endless opportunities for us to enter the market from all different angles: children, bridal… and [to] constantly create innovative jewelry and accessory. We hope to be seen as luxury accessories designers that continue to offer unique accessories at an affordable price.”

These pieces are available for order through [email protected] and [email protected]. The line is currently being carried at three locations on Long Island: Heart & Sole in Stony Brook Village, Sweet Leaf Boutique in Setauket and National Jean Company in Williston Park. You can visit their website at www.oohlalaluxe.com or follow them on twitter at www.twitter.com/oohlalaluxe.