What Box? Growing up in the doldrums of suburbia never curbed Alice An’s penchant for inventing sweet somethings out of nearly nothing. Never one to limit herself within the confines of the proverbial box, Alice crafted her first pair of earrings using only silver stubs, a glue gun, lacquer and newspaper. More than a decade later, the innovative designer revisits her adolescent love – creating jewelry. But this time, she uses only the nice stuff.
Humble Beginnings. Alice was born in Houston, Texas, to two unusually supportive parents. In 2001, one year after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Textile & Apparel Design, she moved to New York City with doe-eyed dreams of becoming a “someone” in the fashion industry. With an internship at Liz Claiborne, it seemed as if she could make it after all. After leaving Liz, she spent three-and-a-half years first as an assistant and then as an associate designer at private label firm Depeche Mode. No, not like the band.
Renaissance Woman. As fate would have it, the fiercely independent, plucky girl from down South was not meant to continue on the fashion designer path. A debilitating accident in 2003 forced her to put her life into perspective. A few months later, Alice quit her stable, rent-paying gig and traded it all in for the fear. She was going to start fresh. She was going to do everything – everything – she ever wanted. She was going to do it her way.
The inspired candifiend collection marks only the beginning…