Meet Alice
Alice Michelle is the founder and designer behind her namesake label, Alice Michelle. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Alice was raised in a family of artists—her father a photographer and director, her mother a painter, and her sister a musician and illustrator. Creativity was woven into her upbringing, but it wasn’t until college that she found her own path in design.
Alice earned a soccer scholarship that brought her to San Francisco, where she played soccer while studying fashion design. What began as a love for the game soon shifted into a passion for design. Hours spent draping, sewing, and sketching in the studio became her form of meditation.
After graduating, Alice designed for both large corporations and small startups in California before moving to New York to join a fast-growing fashion brand as their lead apparel designer. On a small team, she wore many hats—gaining hands-on experience in everything from sourcing to development. But after designing under other labels, Alice began to crave something more personal.
She returned to her roots: working with her hands, creating one-of-one garments for musicians, friends, and family. These commissions—intimate and collaborative—reignited her creative spirit and pushed her to explore her own point of view.
With the encouragement of her partner, she took the leap and launched her own brand. Collection 001 marks the debut of Alice Michelle: a brand shaped by personal history, artistic collaboration, and garments made with care—meant to be worn, loved, and remembered.
Meet Jill
This collection marks our first collaboration. I asked my mom to reinterpret elements from a suzani-embroidered tablecloth I found in Istanbul—starting with motifs like the pomegranate, geranium, and plum blossom. Drawing from her background in representational painting, she translated each one into bold ink studies that captured the texture, weight, and softness I wanted to bring into the garments.
One of the prints in this collection comes from an ink painting of a geranium she made over a decade ago. I’ve carried that painting with me from apartment to apartment—its striking contrast and quiet elegance a constant in every home. It felt only right to give it a new life here, layered into a fabric that lets the print take center stage.
Jill received her BFA in painting from the University of Minnesota, where her work is also part of the school’s permanent collection. She’s exhibited at Groveland Gallery, Katherine Nash Gallery, and the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, and has spent the last 20 years teaching and mentoring young artists in the Twin Cities.
Meet Cam
Cameron Burton is a photographer and cinematographer based in New York.
Born and raised in Sag Harbor, Cam has a natural eye for light, composition, and atmosphere — shaped by a childhood spent in and around the ocean. There’s an ease and openness to his work, a warmth that reflects his own spirit: curious, lighthearted, and deeply observant.
He brings that same energy to every project he takes on. Whether he’s behind the camera or in front of it, his perspective is thoughtful and instinctive.
He was the first person to wear an Alice Michelle shirt — a gift I made just for him. He wore it everywhere: to work, to events, even on regular days out. Every time, someone asked where he got it. That encouragement pushed me out of my comfort zone… maybe I could sell these. One shirt became a collection of nine and gave me the courage to start my own brand.
It only felt right to have Cam — my partner — photograph the collection, and step into a few of the shots as well.