Exclusive Q&A with Alice & Country!

I’ve been lucky enough to catch up with the lovely Alice and find out a little more about her luxury country clothing brand Alice & Country. Make sure you keep reading until the end for an exclusive!

Q: What inspired you to create a range of country clothing?

A:  Alice & Country began when I realised that I had nothing to wear to Badminton horse trials. I literally stood staring into my wardrobe and having that sinking feeling that nothing I had was appropriate! There was no way I could splurge £000 for tweed that I would wear probably only a few times, and it’s hard to look like an equestrian without being head to toe in tweed!

After talking to a lot of my horsey friends, I realised I wasn’t alone in this. Being an equestrian is a lifestyle not a hobby, and it’s frustrating when you can’t dress to reflect this. After lots of researching and market research, Alice & Country was born!

Q: What do you do when you aren’t running Alice & Country? Are you involved in any country pursuits yourself?

A: When I’m not in my studio, I enjoy cross country running with my cockerjack Lola-who you may have seen on our Instagram! I live on the edge of beautiful countryside so it’s perfect for getting some fresh air!

I am also totally horse obsessed. I have a horse on loan that I ride and look after for a friend; it’s just outside my house so every time things get stressful in the office I’m in the saddle! I’m not into competing at the moment (nerves get the better of me) but when I eventually find time to have my own, I may consider getting back into show jumping as I LOVE popping over a few jumps now and again!

Q: Have you always wanted to start your own business?

A: Being my own boss is something I’ve always wanted to do, yes. I worked for a lady after graduating who was an entrepreneur and she was so incredibly inspiring I decided to give it a go myself! I’m very ambitious, and I dream very big which does has its downfalls, but I really do believe that we can achieve anything if we put our mind to it.

I love the aspect of determining my own success, and having the freedom of working around my social life and other commitments. Sitting in a busy office 9-5 everyday just isn’t for me; if I wanted to start my own business I had to make the leap!

Q: What makes Alice & Country clothing so special and unique?

A: I really feel that Alice & Country is filling a big gap in the country clothing market-I like to think of it as a midway point between Joules & Holland Cooper, both equally brilliant brands, but very different sides of the spectrum.

I wanted to combine colour, catwalk fashion AND tweed to create a look that can be worn at horse events, and on the high street. I’ve maintained the quality by using British tweed, and added colour and modern trends to make it appealing to girls like us!

Q: What can we see next from Alice & Country? 

A: I’ve got a small handful of designs in the pipeline which should be released over the next month or so! I’m also already working on designs for the Winter (I know that seems crazy)!

Plus, I’m actually about to launch a bespoke service so people can design their own capes. I’ve had loads of people comment on my original cape and so I will be offering people the opportunity to work with me, pick out their tweed and tweak the cape to look however they want! This will be announced officially on the website some point over the upcoming week so keep an eye out!

A massive thank you to Alice for providing answers to all those questions and letting us in on her next project!

Make sure you check out the Alice & Country website and you can also find Alice on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!

Ruth x