What is your favorite collection you have designed and why?

A unique aspect of my boutique is that each collection is shot at a different national park and is curated for these locations. My favorite collection to date is the Glamis Collection. I would have to say it is my favorite visually, physically, and emotionally. With breathtaking desert landscapes and stunning pieces, my goal was to embody femininity. It featured elevated basics as well as statement pieces. The outpour of positive responses that this collection received was overwhelming and truly resonated with me. On the other hand, it was not so easy to produce. There were many locations and ideas in the works for this scheduled collection, all of which did not succeed. Southern California was experiencing heavy storms for a span of two weeks which continuously changed shoot plans. Since we shoot in nature, weather plays an enormous role. After five attempts to shoot this collection, we finally prevailed. I never let my hopes down and remained driven throughout the entire process to achieve what I had envisioned. The Glamis Collection now also represents determination because if you want something badly enough, you will do anything to achieve it. I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason and without these obstacles, I would not have been able to produce my greatest work yet.

What do you want your customers to feel when they wear your designs?

I want my customers to feel that they can turn every head in a room. Love + Lavender was created with the intention of helping women feel beautiful, powerful, and feminine in the way they dress with bold and elevated fashion pieces.

Do you have any projects in the works?

I absolutely do! Rent is highly expensive in Southern California for a brick-and-mortar store. Luckily, I found an alternative: small business collectives. A small business collective is a store that houses local small businesses for a fraction of the cost. I rent out a space within the store to showcase my products and have commission taken out. My pieces are currently located in four collectives within San Diego County known as Adore but I recently signed with a large collective called Open Market OC. As of May 1st, I will be transforming space within their Santa Ana location at Main Place Mall. This is a very exciting new journey for my business, as it is highly competitive to be accepted. In addition to this, I will be adding my pieces to a hair salon in Newport Beach and a plant shop in National City to further expand my reach.

Where do you hope your company will go in the future and how do you plan to get there?

My goal is to own multiple brick-and-mortar locations and make Love + Lavender a very well-known boutique both online and in-person. I would also love to begin hand creating my own one-of-a-kind pieces. As long as I remain passionate and continue to apply myself, I can envision these dreams becoming a reality. □

Article Credits

Alex’s Instagram: @shoploveandlavender

Love + Lavender’s Website: shoploveandlavender.com

Alex’s TikTok: @shoploveandlavender