Photography by Carla Garcia

When we spoke with Alexis Isaias, of ALEXIS, it was clear why the label is so successful.

“Alexis is a brand that prides itself on women feeling good and looking good in their clothes,” Isaias said. “All women are my muses and inspiration. For me, as a designer, the most important element of designing is fit and construction. I inspect each piece to make sure it’s perfect.”

In this current fashion climate, it’s not unusual to see designers and retailers collaborating on collections (or even entire labels) for a mutually beneficial relationship.With that said, THE OUTNET has partnered with ALEXIS for a summer exclusive collection perfect for travel-filled days and warm summer nights.

We sat down with Isaias as well as Shira Suveyke, The OUTNET’s VP of buying and co-president to discuss their recent collaboration and THE OUTNET’s position as one of the most powerful and respected retail sites operating today.

SB: Tell us a little bit about yourselves and what you do.

Shira Suveyke: I have been with THE OUTNET for five years. When I started it was a 2-year-old business. When it started they were in the creation phases. Now it is much more established. I oversee the buying, merchandising, and retail sides of the business. I focus on the financial and commercial side of the business, as well. I attended Boston University and majored in economics and business management.

Alexis Isaias: I am the founder and designer of ALEXIS.

SB: What was the impetus for ALEXIS & THE OUTNET to collaborate together on a capsule collection?

Shira Suveyke: I met Alexis last summer at Soho House and we’ve been focusing on the Latin American market and the south of Florida. I had seen her designs in several boutiques and was really drawn to them. The femininity- each piece feels so special. When you wear her designs, you feel amazing and know you stand out. It’s perfect for THE OUTNET customer.

Alexis Isaias: It began when I met Shira and she was interested in doing a launch for summertime. We wanted to work together on an easy collection that was transitional and inspired by travel.

Photography by Carla Garcia

SB: How did the creative process work between both the ALEXIS & THE OUTNET brands to come together?

Shira Suveyke: Of course Alexis is the designer, but we worked collaboratively. We talked to her about what we loved about her brand and what would thought would speak to THE OUTNET customer and then we let her have her vision for the designs. The inspiration came from Alexis, but it was a partnership.

SB: Who is the target customer for this partnership collection?

Alexis Isaias: My designers really resonate with a wide range of women. I design for all women. There is a piece in the collection for every type of woman.

SB: What was the main inspiration for the collection?

Alexis Isaias: My main inspiration for the collection was my trip to Morocco. I was inspired by the different textures and architecture that I saw. It was so beautiful and varied. I was inspired by travel essentials. I always have an ALEXIS romper or jumpsuit in my bag whenever I go to a new destination.

SB: Why THE OUTNET?

Alexis Isaias: THE OUTNET is the site that does what it does the best. It is clean and modern. It’s the premiere destination for unique items and we wanted to come together to create something special in this collection.

SB: Who is THE OUTNET customer?

Shira Suveyke: (chuckles gracefully) She is a fashion-minded woman. She knows her brands, her trends. She knows what’s modern and what’s current, but she is definitely not a slave to fashion. She has her own sense of style and a sense of confidence. She often comes to THE OUTNET for wardrobing and for those special pieces to wear on special occasions in her life. What we know resonates with our customer are brands with that unique point of view. Our customer takes risks. Runway sells incredibly well, because she has that point of view. Our buys, our edit, our product tells a story. Our customer is not trying to blend in.

Photography by Carla Garcia

SB: What is your favorite item in the collection?

Shira Suveyke: The cream embroidered dress- the Benati dress. The other pieces I love are some of the more casual pieces that could be worn to the beach and could be thrown on for a date or dinner. We have that balance. The collection works for vacation and for city life.

Alexis Isaias: The Benati Dress (find her HERE)

SB: What advice you have for brands that are breaking into the industry? There are so many new brands. From a buyer’s perspective, which we don’t hear that often, what advice do you have for brands who want to be taken seriously in the fashion world?

Shira Suveyke: It’s about having a unique, differentiated point of view. There is so much fast fashion and it can really make designs and style quite ubiquitous. To be able to offer something that isn’t out there everywhere- customers gravitate to it. That’s part of why this ALEXIS capsule is so amazing, because if you look at her designs, no one else is doing what she does. Designers need to understand their customer and be where she is.

SB: You mentioned before that when you are buying, you mentioned how you look for something unique in a brand. What often is that unique element or “it” factor in the brands you buy from?

Shira Suveyke: There’s something in buying and merchandising, we often talk about the “eye” and I think when you understand your customer deeply, you can look at a brand and can have a gut intuition of what is going to resonate with her. If you look at the brands on THE OUTNET, we have edgy brands, cool brands, feminine brands, and classic brands. We know they are speaking to different parts of our customer, our buyers have those customers in mind and they know who they are curating the site for.

SB: What do you see for the future of retailer and brand partnerships? How do you see that playing into the future of THE OUTNET?

Shira Suveyke: There is so much fast fashion and customers come to shop at THE OUTNET because they are looking for something different. It is really important that we offer them capsules, like this one, that they can only get with us. It creates that strong tie between the customer and both brands. Having that dialogue with the customer is really exciting. I think retailers continue to focus on it because we all know we want to offer the customer something unique. When you look at millennials, they are looking for products that are more customized and tailored.

Scroll through our slideshow to see more of THE OUTNET x ALEXIS exclusive collection and shop everything here.

The post SB Exclusive: The Women Behind The OUTNET x ALEXIS’s Collaboration appeared first on StyleBlazer.

Source: styleBlazer