Featured VentureMom – Emily Keneally – Alice Walk
Alice Walk was a place before it was a company. But not just any place. The founder, Emily Keneally, grew up and was married on Alice Walk, a small seaside path in historic Hingham, Massachusetts. The path was once part of a Victorian-era amusement park and public garden. he path was once part of a Victorian-era amusement park and public garden.
“I attended 15 weddings in one year and I was always searching for dresses to wear. My ideal dress would have a classic silhouette and be constructed from a beautiful, unique fabric. I found this type of dress was actually really difficult to find unless I was willing to spend a lot of money.
I always loved textiles. For example, I might go into a home décor store look at a cool pillow, and think why can’t I make a dress out of that fabric?! I also didn’t care for the experience of shopping. I found it stressful and wasteful thinking about racks and racks filled with clothing that wouldn’t be purchased because it was neither special nor well-made. This led to the idea for Alice Walk and I started to develop the business plan during nights and weekends while I was working my day job at UnReal Candy.”
“I had no background in design, textiles, construction, or manufacturing. So, for about a year and a half, I went to the New York garment district every other week and taught myself about the industry, meeting with experts in manufacturing and retail. I taught myself as much as I could about clothing and textiles. I stalked everyone I knew who could help point me in the right direction. I got to the point where I was comfortable doing a small beta launch in New York to see if people would welcome this concept. At that point, the idea was to have a fully custom-fit line, which I think was naïve of me to think I could pull off at a reasonable price point.
“I had a couple of silhouettes in mind, inspired by vintage clothing and fashion icons such as Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Onassis when I first got started. But I also spent 4 months going to every store under the sun and trying on silhouette after silhouette. Friends with different body types joined me on these excursions, also trying on lots of sample dresses.”
Alice Walk was launched in July 2016 in South Boston, Massachusetts. Emily was looking for quality timeless pieces and was tired of looking through racks of poorly made clothing. Her design philosophy is to pair classic silhouettes with high-quality materials to create a timeless wardrobe. Her team designs clothing in-house and produces it in small batches with factory partners around the world. “We offer a personalized shopping experience, where customers can choose from classic silhouettes and fabrics.” Alice Walk received an overwhelmingly positive response, and The Improper Bostonian named it 2017’s Best Clothing Line.
She has a beautiful shop in Nantucket. Her designs are found online as well. “A delicious pop of color. A delicate hand-painted detail. An unexpected texture. Every piece in the Alice Walk collection begins with incredible, one-of-a-kind fabrics from the world’s finest textile mills.
Emily says, “My favorite parts of working at Alice Walk include the creative environment, being surrounded by smart and kind people, and using both sides of my brain.”
VentureMom Tip
Design something that works for all ages like this Cashmere Getaway. This would make a great Christmas present for any age on your list.
