Diane Monique Llamas Lhuillier was born in 1971 at Cebu City. She is a Filipina fashion designer which is based in Los Angeles. Monique Lhuillier is a combination of Spanish-Cebuano and French. Her father is Michel J. Lhuillier, a half Filipino and half French business man while her mother Amparito Llamas is a Spanish-Cebuana, model. They own the famous MLhuillier pawnshops currently operating over hundred branches in the entire Philippines.
At the age of 15, she was an exceptional student in Lausanne, Switzerland. She hopes to become famous in the fashion industry and because of that she was being sent to Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). It is also where he meets his husband, Tom Bugbee. In 1996, Monique and her husband founded their company and released their first bridal collection. This was greatly accepted by the public and her dad gave her $30,000.00 for starting capital.
After she designed the gowns for her wedding entourage, she had captured the taste of the elite group. She then decided to begin dresses collection. This come more than a hobby to her rather than source of income.
She had designed for the famous celebrities such as Christine Baumgartner, Kristen Stewart, Britney Spears, Giuliana DePandi, Sarah Gore, Shanna Moakler, Heidi Montag, and Allison Munn. He also designed for Hilary Duff in A Cinderella Story.
Afterwards, Monique added evening wear to her collection and more of her designs are being worn in red carpet awards shows. In 2007, she opened more typical runway collections.