Pauline Ducruet conquers London with her Alter brand: “I hate being pigeonholed”
Pauline Ducruet via Instagram
The Monegasque fashion designer made a stopover in London to present her genderless luxury label, sharing her inspirations and unexpected love of Camden with Tatler.
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco’s daughter Pauline Ducruet has made her mark on the fashion world with her brand Alter, which she launched in 2019 while studying at Parsons in New York. In an interview with British magazine Tatler, the 30-year-old designer spoke about her roots: “I remember my mom would tell me, “You should be dressed like this to go to school”, and I’d be like “No, no, no, this is the outfit”.
Advertising
Family inspiration fuelled her early passion for fashion: “Me and my sister would go to my mom’s wardrobe all the time to try on her dresses. Not only the dresses though, as I was pretty tomboy when I was a kid, I’d also try on all the suits and denims and motorcycle jackets.”
Alter: a vision without gender boundaries
The name of her brand reflects her philosophy: “Alter is [named so] because it’s alternative. It’s a sustainable alternative to luxury fashion. But it’s also alter ego, and alteration,” she says. Her approach is inspired by an inclusive vision, free from convention: “I hate when I go to a shop and they say, “This is the men’s section, and this is the women’s section.” What if I’m drawn to a design? What if I wanna wear this myself? In my life in general, I hate to be put in boxes.”
A “Camden girl” in Monaco
Pauline Ducruet also shared her special attachment to London, and more specifically to Camden: “I used to come a lot when I was like 18/19. For the fashion, I would always go to Camden. I love to thrift and vintage shop there.” She adds with a touch of cockiness: “You can see it a bit in the style of Alter, we like to go deep into something and shock a bit in some type of way. I’m like this too, I’m a bit of a rebel myself.”
The fashion designer, who divides her time between Paris and Monaco, where her boutique is based, recently organised a pop-up store in upmarket Notting Hill to showcase her collection to Londoners.