Tell us about your business, its history, and how you build customer loyalty. Alyce Designs is a 40-year-old company. A family-owned and team-driven manufacturer of women’s evening wear, we build customer loyalty by developing collections that are saleable and beautiful. We back up our line by providing stock for our customers. Alyce designs is very proud of our customer service department which the stores can rely on year after year. Jean-Paul Hamm has contributed staggering amounts of logistics, innovation, and ideas that have revolutionized and morphed a once-fledgling national industry into an international trade. Alyce maintains a network of national showrooms and international representatives in Europe, South America, and the Middle East.
Who is your main designer or designers? Claudine Hamm, Nathalie Lambert, and Matthew Schlansky.
What divisions (e.g., Prom, Pageant, Social Occasion, Bridal, etc.) do you design for and market? Prom, Social Occasion, Quinceanera, Pageant, Mother of the Bride, Flower Girls, Destination Bridal, Bridal, Bridesmaid, and Homecoming.
What size ranges do you offer?
Sizes 0-32. This will vary by style.
How do you keep your design ideas current?
We keep our design ideas current by keeping our eyes open and taking in new ideas. We watch for the trends and the latest colors, constantly changing to keep up with what the buyer wants in their stores. We tend to design dresses we would like to see on women we know, including the women designers themselves. New fabrics inspire us. We love draping them and then making new patterns. One idea evolves into another idea and so on. Working at Alyce Designs is definitely a wonderful creative outlet for all of us.
As a designer, where do you receive the most satisfaction? We enjoy seeing the collection come together from beginning to end. Being able to work within such a talented design team is also satisfying. We each have our unique style, and when it comes together, it becomes a diverse and strong collection.
What fashion looks and fabric-usage trends do you predict will emerge in the coming year or two? Textured fabric, brocade, chiffon with finishes. Vintage regenerated: “What is old is new again.” Sequined looks are prevalent in the fashion scene; getting just the right combination is the key.
What design trends do you predict will fade from the fashion scene? “Fashion is an eclectic mix of everything. It is what you make of it. A woman who is fashionable is wearing something wonderful on her, not what fashion dictates,” says designer Matthew Schlansky.
Why do you continue to love what you do?
We have a vested interest in our customers’ personal satisfaction. If customers didn’t love what we created, demonstrated palpably by a lack of sales, then it would be quite obvious that we weren't very good at our jobs. Fortunately, both our sales volume and Alyce’s stellar reputation in the industry speak for themselves, so we consider ourselves very lucky to possess such talent and work with incredible people. We also love how design necessitates a personal connection to customers. Being designers, we must be acutely and intimately aware of a woman's strengths and flaws, and it is imperative the design of a gown makes her feel gorgeous even if she isn’t a size 2. We rely on our own instincts, tastes, and experiences to create gowns that can flatter an array of bodies.
