‘I don’t believe in boring’, says founder of Alice + Olivia fashion brand Stacey Bendet

Tell us about Alice + Olivia’s colourful dresses. “I started with pants and, this season, I’ve done a lot more tailoring and also jeans, but when I started to design dresses I was so inspired. They became such an important part of our brand. Dresses eventually led me to where the brand is today, which is dressing a woman for all parts of her life. I want my store to be a multi-brand store where you can come in and get your work clothes and party clothes.”

What’s your design philosophy? “I don’t believe in boring. I want a woman to walk into my store and not walk out in all black but lighter and more colourful and looking better than she did before. My collections are filled with colour, whimsy and fun. In the spring/summer 2020 collection, every outfit is styled with at least four colours and you can mix and match them. My brand is about women feeling their best.”

You’re both designer and chief executive. How do you juggle the two roles? “I am most comfortable as creative director, designing and choosing fabrics, but you can’t grow in this environment if you don’t have people who are better than you.

“When I first started it was just designing and manufacturing and then it was also marketing and digital. Now we live in a world where every brand is also a media company, so you’ve gotta keep moving and hire people that are better at every aspect of the game so you can create not just beautiful clothing but a global business.”

You were one of the first designers to offer affordable but still luxurious pieces. “I was ahead of the curve in terms of democratising fashion. I always wanted to make clothes that women could wear and at a price point where [they are comparable] to those that are 10 times the price. That’s what I push for, products that are well designed but elaborate.”

You have a big presence in Asia, where your dresses are especially popular. “I wish I could spend more time there because I want to bring the platform and the message of female empowerment and positivity to the world in a more robust way than I’ve done so far. People know who we are and what we do but they need to know it more in Asia.”

What is your earliest fashion memory? “When I was two I had a milk bottle and I really liked it. My parents told me they were trying to bribe me with toys to get it back, but all I wanted was another pair of shoes.”