As many of you know, Ali & Ariel launched in May of 2016. That’s right, we’ve only been in business for 6 months- we’ve accomplished quite a bit in such a short amount of time. One of our biggest accomplishments this year was headlining as a designer in College Fashion Week® 2016.
In July, our Marketing Manager met an amazing young woman – Christine Pearson. She’s the President of Her Campus at the College of Charleston and one of our amazing Mermaids at Heart. After connecting with Her Campus, we were chosen to be a sponsor for Her Conference® The exposure, networking, and overall experience was one for the books – making a tremendous impact on our company. One of the beautiful founders of Her Campus, Windsor Hanger Western, saw our product at Her Conference®. After reading our mission statement, she decided A&A would be a perfect designer in the upcoming College Fashion Week®. She explained that the goal of CFW was to get real college women, of all shapes and sizes, strutting down the runway. This event was created to empower young women by giving everyone an opportunity to model without any biases. We couldn’t wait to watch women werk it in our own creations – our hard work paid off!
The first order of business was a promotional photo shoot in Boston. We shipped our clothing out right away – next thing we knew, our clothing and logo was featured in the October issue of InStyle Magazine and StyleWatch Magazine. OMG!
A couple weeks later, Ali & Ariel hit the runway! We headlined shows that took place in 4 different markets- Boston, NYC, Chicago, and LA. Our clothing was featured amongst some of the top designers including Rebecca Minkoff, Vince Camuto, Frill, Maidenform, StyleWatch, and more. It’s safe to say we were in amazing company, and completely inspired, humbled, and grateful for this opportunity. Seeing our designs confidently worn by young women on that runway was nothing short from a DREAM COME TRUE!
We’re blown away by our rapid growth and so thankful for the never-ending, nationwide support. What’s our technique? Teamwork ’til the end. We are working our tails off over here (literally), and this incredible collaboration occurred as a result of one thing; girls supporting girls. Thank you so much to Her Campus for the opportunity of a lifetime!