Here is our Q & A post with the fantabulous designers of Alex & Eli. For those of you just tuning in, here is the post we did a little while back. We hope that you guys enjoy, and would definitely like to thank the Alex & Eli team (Anna & Aja) and Sarah Stearns of BWR Public Relations, for their time and support.
Anna Zeman & Aja Singer
Alex & Eli is a label dedicated to creating intelligent suiting for women. With clean, tailored silhouettes and unexpected detailing, these mix & match suits are a fusion of modern elegance with iconic masculinity. This label provides an urban sartorial wardrobe to a woman of confidence and individual beauty. Her look is effortless, yet distinctive. Her look is Alex & Eli.
FH: What are three words that you would use to describe your style and how does that translate into your line?
Anna: Bold. Unique. Detailed. I am never afraid to try new things, and down to the color on my finger nails, to the way I role my jeans, I fall in love with the tiny details. It’s the things that people don’t first recognize that I most enjoy in my personal style, and it’s this focus on details that I think translates well into my design process.
Aja: I would say my style is somewhere between feminine, downtown, and classic depending on my mood. These are all the elements I consider and incorporate into everything I create.
FH: How hard was it to start your own business, and was it more or less difficult than you dreamed?
Anna: Starting a business was not the hard part, creating a company was something I always knew I was going to do…the difficult part was found in taking all of our creative ideas and curtailing them into something focused, and developed from a business perspective. When you have your own company, you are continually forced to wear and share many different hats; it’s challenging, but very thrilling at the same time.
Aja: I was definitely expecting it to be difficult to start a label but had no idea the extent of troubleshooting and management that would be involved. There is a very romantic idea around being a designer but the reality is that, while you do get to be creative and design at times, you are also running a business.
FH: Outside of fashion, do you have any other creative hobbies or skills, and how does that influence your work?
Anna: I played the classical piano for 13 years, so music is a very important part of who I am as a designer. I really look to music as a way to inspire myself for a new collection; it really is a very important aspect in how my emotions and thought processes come together creatively. As a hobby, I also really enjoy writing, as well as typography and graphic design; these things come in handy on a daily basis in my work.
Aja: Outside of fashion, I am interested mostly in music and photography, both of which greatly influence my work down to color, details, and proportion.
FH: At this particular moment, what is your favorite word, food, and designer?
Anna: Kismet. Oysters. Celine.
Aja: Right now, here are my favorites: Word: Toque, Food: Lobster rolls, and Designer: Nicolas Ghesquiere.
