21 Questions with… Designer Alice Roi

May 1, 2014

Designer Alice Roi (our May guest editor) answers our quickfire questions.

I usually get up around… 7:30 a.m. Not happy about this.
I would never leave my home without… coffee.
My guilty pleasure is… Diet Coke.
My fashion essentials include… sweatpants and Alice Roi horn cuffs.
My favorite place to shop is… my mother’s closet.
When I’m stressed I… draw.
One thing I don’t do well that I wish I did do well is… sing.
If my days had one extra hour I’d… paint.
The last thing I googled was… Salem Witch Trial.
The most surprising thing about my job is… how slowly trends move.
I’m dying to splurge on… more art.
When it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle I… have One Lucky Duck.
Right now I’m reading… Be Here Now which was so interesting both visually and spiritually; it inspired a line of tees that I made for my fall collection.
If you looked at my desktop you’d see… tons of colonial quilts.
A fashion trend I just don’t get… the skinny jean. It just doesn’t go away.
My ideal day would include… painting, Shameless and friends on the couch.
My favorite place to travel… Les Baux-de-Provence with my husband and son.
My biggest fashion pet peeve is… flapper style. Hate it.
What keeps me excited about working in fashion is… I never get it right. Must keep trying.
When I’m looking to get inspired I… look at my favorite painters.
The best advice I ever got… if you see a crazy person on the street, pretend you’re crazy and they’ll leave you alone.

With a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from New York University, and continued studies at Parsons School of Design, native New Yorker, Alice Roi launched her first collection for spring of 2000. Roi’s edgy vision quickly gained favor from New York’s fashion insiders and influencers. The collection received instant admiration from many celebrities and fashion insiders who embraced Roi’s unique vision .

In the spring of 2001, Alice Roi was nominated for the CFDA Perry Ellis Award for womenswear, one of the greatest honors a young designer can receive from the fashion community. In addition, Alice Roi was nominated for the Cooper Hewitt design award.

The Alice Roi collection was instantly picked up by one of the leading independent stores in New York, Kirna Zabete. Alice’s designs have since been available at Barney’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Louis Boston and Fred Segal, as well as a selection of specialty boutiques in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

| Right now I’m reading Be Here Now which was so interesting both visually and spiritually; it inspired a line of tees that I made for my fall collection.