The Rise and Fall of ALEXACHUNG 

To be honest, Alexa Chung was a fashion designer in the sense that Chloe Sevigne was a “designer” for Opening Ceremony or Imitation of Christ (God, remember that??). In other words, she’s at best a stylist, not a designer. This is not to denigrate her or dismiss her, as she has great style. Like Sevigne, she’s the fashion it-girl of her generation.

As a former tumblr indie fashion millennial girl myself I lovedddd Alexa and I still have a deep appreciation and respect for her and her undeniable influence on fashion’s evolution. She was an influencer before the term as we now know it. A few years ago I was waiting in line at a random coffee shop in Soho NYC and happened to look around, and when I turned to look who was standing behind me in line, I mentally squealed when I realized it was Alexa. Haha! I didn’t want to go starstruck on her so I just smiled and she gave me a sweet big smile in return and I went about my day. I kinda wish I had told her how much I admired her but nevertheless it’s a cute memory. And she looked gorgeous as ever.

This just crystallized for me that AC is a stylist and an IT girl, not a designer. She should continue doing fashion TV and know her own place in the fashion world. We're not all designers.

I think the fact that Alexa already had a huge platform, a strong name, and external funding when she launched her brand, were actually disadvantages for her as a designer. She didn't have time to be a beginner with a small number of responsiblities, and learn from the experience before scaling her business, because her brand was born (relativelly) big. And (i belive) because of the responsibilities of keeping a medium sized brand alive, she wasn't able to focus on her education as a designer, or to figure out what her voice was in a low stakes situation. Being an it girl and having a signature style simply isn't enough for someone to build a whole fashion brand, let alone keep it affloat. If she had the time to actually become a designer before lauching a business, the trajectory of her brand would have been different.

Wow. I'm a person that likes fashion. Knew her before but to be honest I didn't even know she had a fashion brand! Really thought that she was just another fashion influencer - so you're really made a good point about promoting more of the brand rather than her. That totally would've made some difference.

With all that's been said I think the pricing strategy played a HUGE role in the brand's demise. They were making clothes that looked similar to her previous collections with other brands like Madewell. and even as you suggested, Topshop at a much lower price point, so why would people pay quadruple the price for something similar? This largely alienated her fans who had shown up to buy stuff in her past collections (sold out Madewell and M&S collections). Also, AC brand didn't really have a strong brand identity. What is the brand known for? Their bags? Their dresses? How would they attract the customer/the non-fans who can afford the clothes?

She will forever be an It Girl for me. I love her style

I remember her being huge in the early 00s when I was in grade 12. She was always featured on MTV

I always assumed Alexa Chung was a socialite who had the right connections to get her on MTV and Vogue. I never understood why or how she got famous.

As a buyer, I can tell you she did a collection for Fall 23 with Barbour. I picked some of the pieces for my store, and can’t wait to get them in later this year!

Like a lot of millennials I loved her style as a teenager and was excited when she launched her brand. I kept an eye on all the new collections but was a bit disappointed, some things were nice but I couldn’t justify spending £200 on a dress or jumper that was just ‘ok’. A lot of it would look good on Alexa or a 6ft model but not a normal person, no matter how rich. I do wonder how many people bought the purple latex-y mini dress in one of the later collections

I wish her all the best in her next ventures, the girl definitely has talent and an engaging personality

I never understood why she was famous in the first place honestly

Her peak was 2008-2011 I was a teenager at the time and obsessed with her style, I thought she was the coolest person ever

As someone who lives in the US I don't recognize any of those British celebrities

Funny I saw this right after I watched a TikTok ofher at the Met Gala. She's still in fashion, but those 2010-2015 era of blogger fashionistas was wild. Though nothing is crazier to me than Tavi Gevinson going from fashion IT girl to being an actress playing a teacher on the new Gossip Girl and being in Sondheims Assasins.

I absolutely love her personality, but she didn't need a fashion brand. She styles. For skinny people.

She has been around for so long😵 it's insane!

Great video!! Would you be doing Victoria Beckham next?

She should have gone the department store route, doing $30 to $100 pieces that were influenced by her style at Macy’s, Kohl’s, Bloomingdale’s. Sincerely Jules is a fashion blogger turned into a brand like this. I buy her clothes and quite like the style and quality.

I am a millennial and I remember her being a fashion it girl when I was a teen. I think she never outgrew her own style, which is fine, there are tonnes of people with whom their style remains the same as when they were in their early 20’s.

Could you please do a series on global high fashion middle market conglomerates? Especially the ones from Asia acquiring struggling European heritage brands? It’s a fascinating area that gets overlooked due to PR overdrive by LVMH and Kering.

This is such a well-researched video, thank you for making it! ❤

I must start this by saying I am a huge Alexa Chung fan (she’s my dream bff) and I would’ve love to own some of her pieces and support her brand but the reality is the price point was just way too high. I feel for her, cause if you have seen any of the fashion documentaries she’s on she always talks about how much she wanted to be a designer and I certainly hope she tries again after learning from what seems to be quite a painful fall

Appreciate the pro level analysis looking at both biz side and fashion side.

She is forever iconic! She is an influencer even before influencer was a word!

This is so in-depth. Your work is so detailed, brilliant and insightful. Wow! Really happy to discover your channel.

I absolutely adorer her denim looks. I hope things work out for this label eventually.

I love her fashion. She shouldn't have went the designer route. She should have stuck with talking to people and hosting things. She had a great sense of humor and was entertaining.

Ooooh i was a big fan of hers. I wish she had done more of the influencer thing so she stayed more relevant.

such a well done video!! I would love to see a video on IVY PARK, especially with the recent news surrounding the brand:)

I enjoy her very much but I didn’t think much of her clothing line. I think she is more of a personality and a style than a designer.I wish you had mentioned her association with the Deep End Club. I really love that velvet dress that I don’t know what happened to it.

We need a video essay on the rise and fall of Paris Hilton for Samantha Thavasa 🥲😌😂

Many celebrities will do collabs with a brand, where the product created is a fantastic example of that celebrity's style, and it's usually down to the strength of their design department, rather than the skill of the celebrity themselves (the first couple of seasons of Fenty x Puma come to mind). So while I can understand the people in the comments saying Alexa "isn't a designer," I don't really think she had to be (or that she was ever really all that hands-on with the design process at all) instead, she should have hired a stronger team, that could use her as a muse but ultimately create a collection that was aimed at the future, rather than stuck in the past.

I believe this case only confirms that followers of an influencer do not equal potential customers. Only a fraction of people could afford and were ready to spend on her clothes, which I also see from comments here. All the rest probably were rather young individuals, trying to find similar styled items in mass market and looked up at Alexa for inspiration.

She was and still being my role model, I imitate her style, make-up and hair style. She really helped me to find my style

She’s lovely. I hope she continues to do her videos because I love her voice.

I remember that one of the main critiques of this brand was the fact that it was made for very thin people... I don't remember what was there largest size, but people complained a lot about that. I live in México so I never got to see it in real life. I really like Alexa and I really wanted her to succeed in this

I need her to return to RU-vid

This is literally so funny considering I just bought her 2013 book at a used book sale for like $2 lol. If felt like reading a published Tumblr post 😂

I think the problem of Alexachung as much as Fenty actually is relying on the celebrity itself. This is why Victoria Beckham and Olsen Twins of the Row were successful. Also, it's so weird that both of these 2 celebs have influential friends yet they never seem to wear their outfits. I think Fenty's sunglasses were super popular because you saw them on a lot of celebs and also these were more accessible price-wise to the public. Alexachung might be pricier but the quality is actually really good. I think Alexachung could've gone the Isabel Marant route, being the cool girl uniform though Isabel's popularity was organic. I think they should've also had a hero item. Those Sunglass Hut collab shades were really nice. I was under the impression the Alexa Chung RU-vid channel was mostly for Alexa. Like because Derek Blasberg, her friend, had a position on RU-vid so that's why she was persuaded to have one. Well now he's gone there too.

Huge fan of alexa but i live somewhere her brand didnt reach and i also couldnt afford anyway. I was really sad to hear about it shutting down before i could even own a piece! going to miss her youtube videos the most lol. Great video :)

I just remember being 14, brutally hungover at my best friends house on the weekend tuning into T4 with Alexa and Vernon.. Good times.

I missed out on buying the Alexa Chung pieces I wanted because they were not in brick and mortar stores, and I only saw them on Pinterest years after they went off sale.

The fashion industry is absolutely brutal. You either sell fashion art to the super rich or you sell everyday mall offerings to the masses. It's telling that many big names in fashion will rise to the very top to be sold to some conglomerate that uses the name recognition to sell cheaply made body coverings under the same name at low-end department stores. I can name a few designers who were feted at one time, whose names are on tags at items sold at Marshalls.

the common thread I see with Rihanna Fenty luxury brand and Alexa's brand is that they are not real designers, design it’s not about “choosing” a color, a fabric or having a style. Design is about having vision, a personal voice and of course knowing the craft plus some mistery magic on the creative side. Those are beautiful, stylish women that don’t have talent for real design.

I’ll never forget her glaring at me outside of the Fuse station 😂 I only glanced in her direction and was obviously on my way somewhere

the thumbnail saying Alex Hung is crazy

A lot of this is really wearable and there are great pieces here, but you're right that the pricing paired with the lack of innovation really hurt the brand. I agree with other commenters that she should have worked with a department store or known brand (Uniqlo?) to bring her sense of style

I remember coming home from school and turning on Its On with Alexa Chung on MTV. That’s how I learned about her. Always loved her personality

They should have focused more on the shoes, they were always sold out, or I was always too late. For the rest, I liked it, but the cuts never suited my proportions or, like you mentioned, the prices were too high.

I think absolutely if she'd launched her brand now she could have capitalised on the indie sleaze revival! I also think a lot of her stuff works if you're Alexa Chung. i.e. it looks edgy if you're gamine. But if you're just an average mum it doesn't look too far off something Holly Willoughby might try and get you to buy from an order catalogue. Having said this I bought some of her platform shoes in a sale and they are well made, comfortable, and a classic, still bringing them out 5 years later. So it's a shame all in all the brand collapsed. Would I have bought them full price though? No. I loved the 70s mustard suit, waistcoat and pussy bow stuff of her last collection. But was all sold out. I think she could have just gone with a more daring choice, but smaller range. If she'd just been the go-to for 70s revival classics, but very well made and fitting, but a much smaller range, would have been better. The brand was a bit changeable and magpie-ish. Should have just stuck with some classics. Like Vampire's Wife. who basically sell one thing. With variations.

A true fashion designer actually works long and hard at actually designing. They know how to MAKE CLOTHES. And conjure up entire seasons of collections. Not just self promotion. Being fashionable, being stylish, or an influencer does not mean one is a designer. Not even close. Its WORK. Long hard dedicated often thankless work done by people who can not imagine doing anything else. She is many fab things. But she is not that.

It says Alex Hung on the thumbnail 🙃

Wow - I had no idea the YT channel was the AC brand, not AC the woman. I wondered why that channel disappeared into the ether. I really enjoyed it.

At the simplest level - it all looks like Zara. But triple the price.

Her brand feels french to me, and i loved her brand more than rouje.

Please make one about Luella Bartley! Love your channel ❤️

Great upload. I subbed to her youtube channel, and had no idea the label and RU-vid went together. It seemed more like a offshoot of her tv days than a fashion line. I remember thinking, the clothes didn't look bad, but not worth the $200 because you can find similar styles else where at cheaper price point. Covid was the final nail for her.

That's funny, I remember a few of those RU-vid videos (dating French etc) but didn't even realise that they connected to her brand, or that her brand was still going. I only know she ever had a brand because I bought the cutest ever floral embroidered velvet boots from the label at Selfridges. I think the fabric was based off a suit that Mick Jagger had worn in the 1960/70s.

I loved her style when I first saw her in fashion magazine during 2010 when I'm studying fashion as a freshman I always followed and inspired of her styling, it looks like making effort to look effortless. I wish her the best

Please do a video about Mugler! I love their clothes and the story of the fashion house but would love to know more! Also I discovered your videos last week and I'm in LOVE! Great work ♡

I remember her . She was everywhere back then. I never knew why she was soo famous. She was like an English socialite. I also knew many girls that liked her style a lot.

Such a well done video. !

i loved the clothes and the vinatge inspired designs and the quality was amazing especially in the later years so i was really sad when it closed tbf never bought from them straight bc of the price and it didnt hold its value when sold on vestaire or depop

First of all - amazing video and analysis. Secondly, I love Alexa Chung & find her style inspiring and fun even though it isn’t exactly my own. As others said, I had no clue her channel was her brand and not Alex the person! News to me! It seems that the timing of launch, identity, and vision, team, business model were all a bit too off for it to succeed. I’d love to know what she attributes it to.

this editing style is absolutely perfect. what program do you use for editing?

I agree with most comments on here, about Alexa essentially being a great stylist and fashion It-Girl but not a designer. There's an additional thought I have - a lot of the wonderful outfits she puts together are great for HER. For her style, her personal brand of charm and wit, and her own way of carrying herself. It all makes the look. The idea that she can then just replicate that for someone by telling them what to wear is also simply not enough. She has a great eye, and is blessed with a cool/quirky/charming "aura" that is just hard to replicate. I mean - if it were so simple, all of us own navy jumpers, jeans and a pair of flats. Even if these key pieces we own were expensive, or of a wonderful cut and fit, not all of us look that cool wearing such a simple outfit. Alexa was/still is a celebrity. She started a brand after lots of collaborations - many of which were successful. Her mistake was to equate successful celebrity collaborations with cash going directly to her if she went solo. I really love her style and her wit, but sadly... the biz world doesn't work that way.

I never understood why she was even a thing in the first place.

Almost every single piece !!! ... of her several collaborations with barbour is stunning !

Can we have a fashion it-girl that is a normal size person, like an American size 8 or 10.

I think partly with Alexa's brand is that it was really her making clothes she enjoyed, theres a certain brand identity that is influenced by her interests and I think the trend timing was slightly off, I think everyone really got into streetwear/oversized which is the opposite of her brand but I do feel like we'll be moving back to things more her style soon! I think if the brand focused on making statement accessories like an Alexa Bag they would've had better successes! I saw Mulberry has an Alexa bag so I'm surprised she didn't do more with her brand because shes all about accessorising

Please make a video about Christian Lacroix. In my opinion he is one of the most talented designers, but he closed his fashion house because of the lack profit

I actually LOVED her pieces and still have a few in my wardrobe

Honestly some good pieces and I would reccomend a relaunch with a five year plan of collaborative collections only. Alexa Chung has great personal style and would cater well to styling musicians and their fan base. I could see a musical performance merged with a fashion show as a more avant garde way of showing the relaunch with the audience members bursting onto the stage in the collection. The collections previously show some solid promise and the security of an established designer could help raise Alexa's confidence in her own designs to develop. The challenge with the new is always the length of time it takes for a very healthy turnover to make a profit to keep investors happy. I would not give up hope on the idea of the brand but definitely consider a basics collection for 2024 and maximise the free social media platforms avaliable. Best of luck.

I loooooved her style in the 2010s and was very invested in her and Alex Turner's relationship as a cringy Tumbler user. I think she's going to have a comeback soon since the 2010s styles are coming back.

I didn’t know about this fashion line! I would have bought from it

There is also something to be said about the actual necessity to bring a new product onto the market. The person behind it might be well-respected, have a great awareness and relationship with the industry and with their audience... yet still not have a knack for bringing in something new that hasn't already been done before (of course everything has been done before, it is just a matter of presenting in a way that feels fresh and authentic to the brand's DNA while also getting the timing right!!). The niche that Alexa was trying to fill with her brand was already being filled by many others, and especially with the growing landscape of young and creative designers she begins to feel more like an influencer-veteran than somebody who people are excited by. From an environmental standpoint, there is SO MUCH clothing out there already that it becomes imperative to consider why her product specifically even deserves to be put in production... while the buzz surrounding her brand was pretty legit a few years ago, it has rendered itself irrelevant in this fast-paced (sometimes dissapointingly so) 2020s reality.

I have the pale blue raincoat. I bought it online last week and been trying to get it for ages. Its practical but very stylish. It seems well made and is striking. Get loads of compliments. I love it ❤

I liked a lot of her outfits back in the 2010s but even her personal style felt "old" by the end of the 2010s. And I say that as someone who likes a lot of her style but also as someone who realizes that fashion has moved on...

I adore Alexa. I could watch her videos all day long. However, the impact of private equity money (and their decision-making power) cannot go overlooked. Who you partner with for money and the control you give them is everything. They take the lead on brand strategy with their people and consultants. Alexa has such a strong curated sensibility, but the collections don't have that feel. Ironically, the Barbour collection did, which contributed to its success. I will continue to support her in future endeavors and hope her next concept has the same authenticity that shines through in her videos.

It’s FASHUNDAY and you’re watching Understitch✨

Alexa Chung continues to inspire my style to this day

547 comments and NO ONE ADMITTED she stole whole style and vibe from Jane Birkin …

i guess i dont know much about fashion or maybe im too much of an alexa fan but i found all of the pieces shown in the video lovely and would’ve bought most if not all of them lol but it’s an interesting video that gave an insight into the more designer/business side of things ❤

ooo, this was difficult to watch. made my heart sad for her. ive always loved her style & was so excited for her brand. hopefully my favorite IT girl & her team will return again with some new & exciting designs...or at least I hope she brings back her videos; she has great style & a darling personality. I miss them.. She may not be looked at as a "designer-designer", but she had a fun vision. I did really enjoy these few seasons. I liked most everything & really was into the dungarees & jumpsuit looks. xx

I feel like some random person decided she should be famous and then proceeded to stuff her down consumer’s throats

Can you do Marzia’s Mai collection? Even if it’s not about clothes, I’d like to hear about your thoughts on how her business was doing.

I do appreciate having a vision and a drive to create a brand with such a concrete aesthetic. It’s a shame it didn’t work out, but she’ll be alright.

2020 to 2022 was unavoidable for small brands and it’s unfortunate that Alexa and many others went out of business.. it doesn’t matter what the collections or products looked like, under normal circumstances this business and many others would still be running

I’m so happy you worked on the vocal fry

The Barbour collection was gorgeous

Honestly she was only really reverent during the hipster craze. Now that people are over that, she has just become a-bit irrelevant. I think that celeb named brands are tacky regardless of the celebs name. I’m not surprised the row has done so well since the Olsen's have dissociated their original brand identity. Alex Chung comes into the deli in london I work at the weekends and she’s so innocuous. I look at how she dresses and it just how everyone else dresses in east london.

I think AC clothes looked good on Alexa Chung. 2017 was when BBLs and slim-thick bodies were starting to appear everywhere. The gamine/androgynous look was on the back burner for some years after that. Its funny that they just officially closed, now that ultra slim bodies are back in fashion. I could see Emma Corrin as the face of this brand similar to how they are representing Miu Miu, this clothes would look great on Keira Knightley, Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, etc.

Ooo that last collection was 😍

The thumbnail saying Alex's Hung made me giggle

She was extremely popular in the 2000’s . Don’t know what happened to her and her brand. She mixed with the elites and top celebs in the uk. These celebs need to mix and do more social media

I love Alexa Chung❤ Her personality and humour was what drew me in. Of course her style was inspiring too, but to this day she still has that vibrant fun personality and I love that about her!

Alexa made Barbour cool way back in the day with the international jacket. Wish I knew of the collabs

I really liked her RU-vid videos! I don’t think I even knew who she was or why she was famous before them, but I wish she still made them