ALL ABOUT ALYSSA LESSER
“Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come? ”
Meet Alyssa, a designer with experience at Balenciaga, Richard Chai, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, as well as experience starting her own company and as a lead denim designer at 7 For All Mankind.
Originally from Maryland, Alyssa attended Parsons School of Design in New York and majored in Fashion Design. Every summer she interned with different well-known brands such as Vena Cava, Balenciaga, Richard Chai, and Ralph Lauren! One thing that Alyssa mentioned getting out of her college experience was the emphasis on internships and their importance when applying for jobs once you’re out of school. Alyssa claimed, “The more you do, the better off you’ll be,” which I can’t argue with. Every summer of Alyssa’s undergrad was spent interning for a different company, which gave her an incredible perspective on the industry and all the different jobs it entails. At Parsons she also took away 1) Attention to Detail and 2) a Crazy work ethic.
One of Alyssa’s summers involved being a showroom intern for Balenciaga. After a runway show, Alyssa would watch first-hand the process of a buyer coming into the private showroom and she’d walk them through the different products and present the displays, while a model wears the items. She is confident that these were experiences that school could’ve never taught her, and she’s thankful for all the skills she was able to take away from her internship experiences.
After 10 years of living in New York, Alyssa ended up relocating to LA because that’s where almost all domestic denim manufacturing is done, and she’s lived there ever since. One piece of advice that Alyssa shared with me was that for every 5 opportunities in New York, there’s about 1 in LA which I found pretty interesting and is a good thing to keep in mind for anyone planning on making the move. Securing a job beforehand may be your best bet since it is very competitive.
Through Alyssa’s experience, it’s safe to call her a professional at putting out fires. One difficulty of being a designer is that you’re constantly running into manufacturing issues and you have to be able to quickly turn around with a solution. On the other hand, one of her favorite parts about being a designer is seeing people feel confident wearing the clothing she designed. It turns those tiring few months making the garments all worth it once you see people loving the things you created.
We also talked about sustainability within large companies. Two sayings Alyssa would often hear from CEOs were, “It’s not sexy,” and, “No one cares,” regarding sustainable clothing options. Recently we’re seeing a drastic change as sustainability and awareness are becoming much more popular and I’m hopeful that our generation will be the one to make the switch.
Alyssa’s day at 7 For All Mankind started with her touching base with her assistant and her associate, and her responsibilities were endless. Many of these responsibilities included working with cross-functional partners, merchandising, and production/product development. Her days were filled with tons of meetings, fittings with models three days a week to test out the denim fabric, and technical drawings detailing everything that goes into the garment from A to Z.
Looking back, if Alyssa could’ve done anything differently while in college she would’ve taken more business classes and studied abroad in Paris. You get so caught up in life and for people like Alyssa- she jumped right into the workforce once she graduated college, and never really got to spend any time exploring more of the world. Definitely a good thing to keep in mind if anyone reading this has the opportunity to study abroad- Do It!
If you’re interested in following Alyssa on Instagram her handle will be down below as well as a link to her website and her email!
Instagram: @alyssaless
Email: alyssalesser@gmail.com
Website: www.alyssaless.com
