In honor of International Women's Day, we celebrate an incredibly smart, stylish and successful woman for whom we are eternally grateful, Alice Marie-Thérése Hamm, founder of ALYCE Paris.
Alice was proof that you could achieve your dreams if you chase them far enough and with enough passion and ambition. Her inspiring story teaches us important lessons. Alice was proof that you could achieve your dreams if you chase them far enough and with enough passion and ambition. Her inspiring story teaches us important lessons.
At only 12 years old, Alice dreamed to make all women look and feel beautiful, and decided when she grew up she would be a fashion designer.
In 1945 Alice attended the local design school in Saverne, Alsace. Alice took her schooling very seriously, allowing her to excel in her class!
After learning so much from the teachers at her design school, Alice turned around and shared her wisdom with others. So post-graduation, at about 19 years old, she continued teaching couture, pattern-making, and draping techniques to 50 young impressionable students.
A few years later at 22 years old, Alice fearlessly climbed up a higher rung on the ladder of success. She moved to Paris, France where she worked as a costume designer and attended École de Coupe. After graduation, she moved again, this time to Chicago to work as a designer for a local bridal shop, and continued to chase her dream of being a successful designer in the USA.
It was 1961 when Alice became a U.S. citizen, changing her name to “Alyce” (pronounced as “AH-lease”). And by the mid 60's, she was ready face the ultimate challenge that she had been working towards all her life: to open and own her own fashion house! After saving all her money for years, at the start of the Women’s Liberation Movement spreading across the USA, she founded her namesake company in 1967. Alyce’s daring drive, bold confidence, and impassioned courage had fueled her dream across continents to make women look beautiful on a global level.
“Et voilà! Alyce’s iconic talents and block patterns spawned a worldwide industry built around prom, and Alyce's family, Jean-Paul and Claudine Hamm, still continue to influence modern formal wear.”
Alice’s inspiring, iconic story is proof that you can reach your goals with hard work, perseverance, and honesty. On this International Women’s Day, remember that a woman can be anything she wants to be.
Thank you, Alyce!
