alana eve is a family-owned, sister-brother brand founded in 2022. Aiming to empower women through luxury fashion, the siblings create collections inspired by iconic women, focusing on elegant, figure-enhancing silhouettes suitable for date nights and special occasions. Their collections feature intricate detailing and premium fabrics, emphasizing sustainability with recycled and compostable trims. At only two years old, alana eve has now been seen on model Denise Bidot and influencer Kayla Nicole.
We caught up with Alexis, one-half of the founding duo, to learn more about how the brand started and where it’s headed.
Can you tell us the story of starting the brand?
When starting alana eve , the goal was to offer classic styles that are enough to become a fixture in your wardrobe but fashion-forward enough that they don’t feel like something you’ve seen so many times before. We felt like there was a gap in the market for elevated but not exclusionary brands. Regarding size inclusivity, there is a lack of brands that carry a more full or robust size range.
What do you like most about working together?
My brother, my business partner, and I grew up as athletes. He played baseball, and I played softball. That led to a little bit of a sibling rivalry, but it also ensured that we spent lots of time together. We’ve always wanted to co-found a business together. Women’s fashion and the brand’s creative side is more my passion than his, but he loves the operations and finance side of the business.
What inspires your designs?
alana eve is an homage to the inspiring women in our lives and an effort to carve out a community where everyone feels celebrated. The name alone, “alana” denoting important familial initials, and “eve” serving as a nod to the first woman, speaks to these foundational elements. My personal style shapes our styles, but the inspiration varies from collection to collection.
What do you wish customers to feel when they wear your pieces?
If I had to pick a few words, I would say confident and excited. Feeling confident in what I’m wearing can completely change my mood. It changes the way that I walk into the room and the way that I carry myself. It’s also important for my customers to feel comfortable in the clothes. That is something I try to keep in mind when designing. I want everything to be chic and stylish but also to ensure it is realistic and wearable.
Your commitment to diversity in size and appearance is brilliant. Why is this important to you?
It was extremely important for us to offer sizes XS-3X (US 0-24) from the very beginning. At alana eve, we want our clothing to make women feel good and confident. We also want shopping with us to be as fun and easy as possible. It’s hard to feel confident if you are shopping on a website or IRL and a brand doesn’t carry your size. Or maybe they have your size, but no photos or videos show someone in your size.
It’s disappointing to see reversals of some of the industry’s progress over the last five years. Building a brand that everyone can feel confident in requires constant mindfulness. We work with models of all different shapes, sizes, and abilities. It’s important to us that you can see yourself in our clothes and that you see yourself represented on our website. We carry sizes ranging from XS-3X. Beyond that, we design with variety in mind. From the moment pen hits paper, we’re considerate of how each seam, fold, and hemline will flatter each and every unique and beautiful form.
Do you have any exciting events or launches for the coming months?
We are planning to release another collection this fall. We are extremely excited about it and can’t wait to start sharing sneak peeks on social media.
alana eve is the new favorite of XOXO’s founder, Ikponmwosa. She will be wearing one of the brand’s dresses in Greece next week! Follow the brand on Instagram here.
XOXO,
Your Fashion Bestie
