ALC is a really cool brand based in LA, woman-owned and run. Andrea is a doll to work with, and her team are wonderful. I hope they’re still downtown, because too many companies grow out of DTLA and wind up in Hell, I mean Vernon. She does design “in the fitting” but she has a vision and is polite about making sure it comes out. I realized while working for her that designers who do that don’t necessarily hate my patterns, they just changed their mind about the design. For the most part, right? Having come from a styling background, it’s understandable she’d need to see the garment to really fine-tune the design.
The work is very fast-paced and there is very little referring to past seasons, she is a proper designer. It’s run like a New York design studio because she is, after all, from New York. Paid very well, but we also worked a lot.