Heritage 1995-2004
1998 An Expanding Profile
A buyer for trendsetting Los Angeles-based retailer
Fred Segal contacts Alvin after seeing his designs and becomes Alvin Valley’s first major wholesale customer. The brand begins to capture a celebrity following.
1999 A Move to New York
With the encouragement of clients including Cameron Diaz, Kate Moss, Lourdes Fanjul and Samantha Boardman, Alvin moves to New York to launch Alvin Valley as a wholesale collection.
2000 Zeroing in on Pants
While Alvin enjoyed dressing his clientele head to toe, he was always drawn back to engineering flawlessly fitting pants.
"While many other designers at the time were focused on dresses, skirts and blouses, I always had a deep passion for creating structured pants with strong lines that fit women's bodies flawlessly".
Soon thereafter, he struck a chord with retailers and customers for the design of his pants, having made it the core of his collection. The 111, a self-belted, tailored trouser, becomes Alvin’s first iconic style:
“The signature element is the wide waistband at the top, which pulls you in and sculpts the body. It took me nine months to design this pant and get the fit right… I always tell people: ‘If you’re going to only buy one thing from my collection, buy this pant. Then I’ll see you in a week because you’ll want more!” — Alvin on the 111 Pant
2002
First Runway
Show
Alvin has his first runway show in New York’s Chelsea Market. His collection is inspired by actress Maria Felix, an icon of Mexican cinema during its Golden Age of the 1940s, who was known for her beauty, strength, determination and independence.
TORY BURCH WEARING
HER OWN ALVIN VALLEY
PANTS IN HARPER’S BAZAAR
2003 Wholesale Expansion
In the fall of 2003, Alvin shows his Spring 2004 collection in the tents at Bryant Park as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. At this time, Alvin Valley is distributed in 200 boutiques and major national retailers, including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.
about the combination
of the wide leg and
the high waist that
makes women feel tall
and feminine, especially
when they are
wearing a high heel.”— Alvin on the Lana
archival pants; I’ve
never taken it OUT OF
THE COLLeCTION. It’s a
very classic, timeless
trouser that’s a no-
brainer for work.”— Alvin on the 311
2004 More Bestselling Styles
Alvin launches additional bestselling pants styles that
have remained core to his collection. Among them: the Lana,
a wide-leg trouser, and the 311, a straight-leg trouser.
2004 A Growing Celebrity Following
A vocal celebrity following puts Alvin in the fashion spotlight:
“Celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to Reese Witherspoon were coming into stores and buying my pieces—particularly my pants in every color. One day, I got a call from a store owner, who said, ‘Kate Winslet came in and loved your pants. She wants to meet with you. Can she come to your studio?’ Kate Winslet came in and was going crazy over everything. She wanted a wardrobe to wear for the various publicity events for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
A few weeks later, she was scheduled to come back to my studio for a final fitting. She was a few hours late, and she ended up overlapping with a reporter who was interviewing me for a New York publication.” — Alvin
Winslet raves about the fit of Alvin Valley pants, telling the reporter, “Alvin understands real women have a butt.” Other outlets, from CNN to NBC, pick up the story, bestowing Alvin with the moniker “Lord of the Pants.”
