Designer profile: Alex & Eli’s far-out, tailored riffs

Back when Aja Singer and Anna Zeman were new-found Parsons grads, the Toronto and Seattle natives banded together to fill the gap between high-end and the everyday. Five seasons later, the two have clearly defined their New York-based brand, Alex & Eli, as the answer to virtually every wardrobe dilemma a twenty-something girl about town might have. With a combined resume boasting apprenticeships at the likes of Zac Posen, Carolina Herrera and Rodarte, its no wonder that the fairly young brand has got such strong vision. While others may design with pure fantasy in mind, Singer and Zeman just get it.

Both having studied science in their undergraduate years, the designers were inspired by Star Trek when creating their fall collection. Blending those far-out references with the duo’s yen for tailoring, the collection comes off as flawlessly relaxed and firmly planted in reality. As soon as we got our hands on the fall look book, we had no choice but to find out more from the horses’ designers’ mouths.

Can you describe Alex & Eli in one sentence?
Alex & Eli’s brand philosophy is to create slick suiting. Period.

You seem to draw inspirations from muses, whether working with (blogger) Susie Bubble or the fall look book, which seems to takes a page from (stylist and fashion editor) Kate Lanphear’s book… Who’s on your mind right now?
The ladies who are always on our rotation are the women who wear clothing with sophistication and confidence.  Her look is effortless because distinctive style is something that comes naturally to the Alex & Eli woman. Tilda Swinton, hands down.

You are known for your impeccable tailoring, but you are also a very young and fun line. How do you reconcile the two?
Tailoring is the brand foundation, and integrating our innovative perspective comes quite naturally, as we are creating the clothes we want in our own wardrobes. Contemporary suiting is really exciting in that we can approach the traditional suit in a new way; there is now a freedom to mix-and-match juxtaposing textures, silhouettes and colors.

What is fall 2011 all about?
We really wanted to build the collection with a futuristic and slick sensibility, so we looked back to the future and found inspiration in Star Trek. We focused on our signature sharp silhouettes, asymmetrical hemlines and intricate seaming; echoing the sleek interior of a spacecraft, geometric shapes and color palette of the ’60s era Star Trek.

Tell us about the prints… They are awesome!
We are so excited about the two custom prints we created for fall 2011! For the first we sourced industrial cables from hardware stores, and created charm like spaceship blueprints to swing freely from the cable endings. The other print, an ethereal watercolor was developed by a series of dip-dying and hand painting processes, creating a dreamy atmospheric feel.

Alex & Eli is currently available at Lileo in Toronto (55 Mill St., Building 35, 416-413-1410) and online at ladama.com. Pieces from the fall collection will be available in July.

See the Alex & Eli fall 2011 collection! »

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