Alice X Global is a footwear brand based around these beautiful leather multi-coloured espadrilles, which are just perfect for that Balearic holiday. And here’s an exclusive interview with the designers behind the label.
The brand was born out of a love for shoes, sun, fun and style on the part of founders Monica and Stephen Peacock.
They met through their love of fashion, having spent much of their early twenties hanging out at Vivienne Westwood’s store, World’s End, and clubbing at late 80s superclub Shoom .
The idea for Alice X was formed when a pair of striking leather espadrilles caught Stephen’s eye during a journey into work one morning. “Those canary yellow shoes really stood out from the blacks and browns of the daily commute, but I thought nothing more of it until a few days later as I was putting my young daughter’s (Alice) patchwork trainers onto her feet. A light bulb went off in my head and I told Monica, she thought that they were a great idea and we wondered if there was a multi coloured espadrille on the market”.
No one was producing this type of design, so they decided to do it for themselves. Monica and Stephen covertly spoke to customers in the shoe departments of Liberty, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and Harrods and asked them what they liked. “Every time it came back to the same things – style, comfort, originality, quality, raised soles and the ability to wear in and out of work”. More ideas followed, and they set about creating a collection in a range of colours. The first Alex X collection was born.
Each shoe needed five separate hides, creating additional work that just wasn’t viable for a low volume order. They took a gamble and bought a small stand at Pure London and told me “It was the winter show and we had summer shoes, but we thought that it would be a great opportunity to talk to people in the industry and learn as much as possible”. “We did exactly that. We talked to everyone that would listen, taking in every piece of information to see how we could develop the business. The reaction from the trade was amazing. We took orders and got all set for a launch in 2017”.
Then disaster struck. Production issues delayed delivery of the first collection, making it too late for summer 2017. This was a major setback, but it enabled Stephen and Monica to focus on SS18. “We’ve been working hard to get the brand ready, building relationships ready for the launch in 2018.” And here we are… a range of beautiful shoes, of the highest quality, in an amazing assortment of colours, all true to the timeless classic and iconic espadrille but with a clear USP.
Alice X asked me for my colour preference and this is the result. I absolutely love them. I’ll wear them non-stop in Ibiza and Mallorca all summer.
Visit their website and instagram page for more information.
