Go to Las Vegas, they said. You won't question your values, get cornered by suppliers pushing overseas production. And you most definitely won't smoke a stress-induced cigarette in your car, windows up, for the first time in 20 years.
They were only half wrong. Windows were down.
Yet to call our presence at PROJECT Las Vegas—the massive and influential trade show for contemporary clothing—a net loss, would be an absolute disservice. A disservice to the amazing people we met, our notable feature at the event's sustainability suite and the impactful reckoning we brought with our values. Even a tailgate popping open and spilling out some of our newest items onto the freeway couldn’t overshadow the experience.
No matter which way you spin the bottle, PROJECT Las Vegas was a huge success and milestone for ALITY Designs. Our first trade show, our first experience out in the wild—PROJECT was an arrival of sorts, a doubling down of who we are and why we are.
We are sustainable, we are local, we are the odd ones out
Vegas will do that to you. Send you down a rabbit hole of shoulda-coulda-woulda thoughts that likely don't serve you or your vision of your best self. The difference is in how you come out of that energetic flash, broken or better. Fall for the temptation of fast fashion, quick wins, copycat appeal and what's the point of it all?
Standing strong against the mental fuckery of fear and the unknown, PROJECT Las Vegas gave clarity to these 5 things:
We believe in sustainable sourcing and manufacturing. We do not green wash, nor do we claim perfection. We move the needle on sustainability by buying fabric made in the USA, creating jobs locally in California, and distributing clothes near the point of production.
Compromises and shortcuts did not get the invite. They're blacklisted. They don't even know our address. Quality is the cornerstone upon which we stand. The highest quality materials, attention to the smallest of details, quality controlled piece-by-piece. Quality you can see from a distance and feel from skin-to-skin contact. This will never change.
Our earth-tone palette and classic cuts speak to an ageless state of forever. Not a promise to never touch the toes of soft lavender, take a sip of a mint julep hue, or toy with a controversial cut. Rather, it's an affirmation to stay timeless. Flavor of the weeks come and go. Colors rich in compatibility and designs with class and comfort are a true representation of what ALITY is.
We are truly made in California. We are not just a story of California or a fable on our tag that skims by ethical standards of what can be considered a state of origin. Created, stitched, produced, dreamt-up—call it by any name, the rose is still as sweet. ALITY Designs is the true story of a California-made brand.
In a testament to innocence and naivety, we are unlike the others. We, in fact, are The Other. A value driven company. Integrity rich. A poetic masterpiece of self expression. New kids on the block by time served, but also by way of tenacity and honesty. Unshaken by those who told us to go cheap, go fast, or go home. We are home. Fashion does have a place for us, even if we carve it ourselves by hand.
The message undeniably resonated with showrunners and attendees. It had us featured in Ad Infinitum, PROJECT’s curated space celebrating the continued pursuit of environmental responsibility and sustainable practices within the fashion industry. It kept us busy talking to the ones who just got it, those who were there to proclaim loudly beside us, “Long live the clothes we wear today and every other day from here until we pass them on to someone new.”
See you on the road
This won’t be the last time you see us out in the wild.
Our next trade show is a trunk show—literally. The ALITY Designs van is nearing completion. We'll be packing our bags and hitting a town near you. Want us to swing into your town? Drop us a message. Follow up at @alitydesigns to watch our story unfold, one garment at a time.
