It is just amazing how social media can lead you to unique items and new brands that instantly make you say “I need this” or ask “how am I just now discovering this”. Scrolling through Instagram, the latest brand that made me pose these questions was none other than ALX.
ALX is a brand best known for their ‘monogram $lims” sunglasses that have graced the faces of well-known women like Alani Figueroa aka @wuzg00d, Stefflon Don, Wolf Tyla, and Rosalía to name a few. With an attraction to DIY culture and streetwear, Vancouver-native and founder Alex Mah birthed the $lims after a random idea led her to experimenting and creating an 1 of 1 pair of sunglasses for herself. At this point in time, the thought of a brand or even selling the glasses did not cross her mind. However, many people began to ask where and when they could purchase her exclusive glasses, leading her put the ALX brand into action.
Second row from left to right: Alani Figueroa on both sides and Nikki Mudarris aka Ms Nikki Baby in the middle
Third row from left to right: DaniLeigh, Wolf Tyla, and Stefflon Don
In 2019, ALX landed its first sale and the rest became history. Since then, Alex has ventured into other custom items like clothing, jewelry, and bags with the $lims reigning supreme as the best-sellers. Celebrities and their stylists soon began to discover the brand, reaching out to ALX with requests for their own $lims or other custom products. Alex describes these “couldn’t believe it” moments with influencers and celebrities as blessings, adding fuel to her burning passion and increasing her desire to keep building her brand.
We chatted briefly with Alex Mah about her inspirations, women empowerment, design process, and more:
On her inspirations:
“I’d say a lot of my inspiration comes from what I’m exposed to, my experiences and personal taste. I’m heavily influenced by the streetwear, vintage and designer vibe. This blend definitely plays a huge role for inspiration of my products. Also, seeing women making an impact in fashion and making their mark is really encouraging. With majority of my audience being female, it’s really great to see all of us supporting one another.”
On women empowerment:
“My goal is for ALX pieces to make women of all sizes, race and identities feel empowered and beautiful while wearing them. I love that majority of my audience and supporters are female because this just reinforces what I’m trying to achieve. Embracing one’s individual beauty and unique characteristics is something I love to see!”
The design process behind a pair of $lims:
“Each pair of $lims are made to order and handpainted by me. I take great pride in each piece like a work of art. All are customizable too. The idea of custom-made items really resonates with me as not one person is identical so why should these $lims be? I love working with clients on custom ideas, no matter how ‘out of the box’ it can get. Collaboration is what makes each custom pair of $lims even more exclusive and meaningful.”
Challenges faced while running ALX:
“This is still a learning process for me. I do everything myself from making the products to marketing/communications to customer service to packaging to creative direction, etc… I’m very grateful for where ALX has taken me and the experiences I’ve gone through. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future.”
What’s in store for ALX in 2021:
“I’m exploring more styles and other products. Basically, anything that catches my eye that I could put a custom twist on. My hope is to continue growing the brand and to keep accomplishing my goals, no matter how small.”
Alex closed the interview with a huge thanks to everyone who has supported and showed love to the ALX brand since its inception.
A pair of monogram $lims ranges from $55 to $75 based on design and style of the glasses while other custom products ranged from $30 to $150. If you are interested in purchasing your own custom pair of $lims, be sure to directly message @alx_brand on Instagram. Stay tuned for more from Alex and ALX the brand!