Conversations with Alyssandra Jarvis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssandra Jarvis.

Hi Alyssandra, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started in the midst of the pandemic, struggling to stay motivated, yet inspiration continuously building up inside of me. I had just graduated, but not the way I could have ever imagined. I was relieved to be done with online schooling, as the forced transition from the classroom to the internet was anything but tranquil, especially in my last semester of college. I was connecting and reaching out to every colleague and alumni possible from my fashion program, applying application after application for every position available via LinkedIn. Deep down though, I knew that wasn’t what I wanted. My fashion merchandising degree made me fall in love with buying and planning, and that’s what I would have called my “dream job” only a couple of years ago.

Thanks to the pandemic though, I came to the realization that I could be this for myself and my own brand. I could be both the buyer and the planner and make all my own decisions. If you know me, it’s no secret that I love to be in charge. I’ve always loved shopping; I’ve always loved planning and organizing – no matter the circumstances. I could have done this straight out of high school, but to be fair, college brought me a lot more than my degree. It showed me the ins and outs of the fashion industry. It introduced me to buyers and planners, it showed me how to research, it allowed me to meet industry professionals and intern in a corporate setting. But most importantly, without my college experience, I would have never believed that I could do this all on my own. So here I was, not even three months later, on one of my many flights to Los Angeles when it all clicked. LAGAIL. That’s it.

I’m on my way to LA, an inspired woman brainstorming all types of ideas. But wait, it gets better. I’m all about meanings; I want everything I do to mean something… but sometimes you have to stop searching for meaning and realize it’s right in front of you. And that’s when I realized LAGAIL is the combination of my Nana & Great Nana’s name, and the first two letters just happen to be LA. It was planned to be my middle name, but my baby sister got it instead. A soon-to-be generational dream come true.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road — I launched in 2021 & thought I had it all figured out. I quickly realized that without marketing, there was no way my first collection would sell out.. and it didn’t. I am in every role: photographer, website designer, creative director, accountant, buyer, social media manager, model, etc. so it’s hard to balance my business while simultaneously keeping my personal life organized. Being a small business (for now), I don’t have the quantities necessary to manufacture my own designs so I wholesale which is a challenge in itself. I refuse to compromise on quality, so it can be very difficult to find the next product that aligns with my brand vision & mission. For this reason, I have converted to a drop-based model where I release one product at a time, which also allows me to avoid burnout & creative fatigue.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
On top of fulfilling all of my brand’s roles, I have a creative space in the Art District which doubles as LAGAIL HQ. It’s available for rent via Peerspace and allows me to connect with all kinds of creatives. I have recently entered the Commercial & Print industry as an actor after staying behind the camera for so long. I work in nightlife as well, which keeps me up late but allows for me to build my own schedule during the daytime.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love that you can drive a couple of miles in any direction and end up in a completely different area. You can go to the beach for a refreshing feeling, downtown for a busier scene, Beverly Hills for a softer, luxurious feel or Hollywood to feel like a tourist. The traffic is daunting & can make one single errand feel like it took up your whole day.

Pricing:

• Book LAGAIL Studio for $35-50/hr

Contact Info:

• Website: WWW.LAGAIL.COM
• Instagram: instagram.com/lagailofficial
• Other: tiktok.com/@lagailofficial