Meet The 2 Founders Shaping The New Quiet Luxury
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On The Brand’s DNA…
ALMADA really started from a very personal need. We both felt there was a gap in our own wardrobes for pieces that felt luxurious and elevated but were still effortless enough to wear in everyday life. We wanted beautiful materials and great quality without compromising on comfort. The original idea was very simple: fewer, better pieces that you genuinely want to reach for all the time. We started with a very small capsule, and that philosophy is still at the heart of the brand today.
What makes ALMADA unique is our approach to longevity. We don't design around trends or feel the need to reinvent everything each season. We believe in creating a wardrobe that evolves over time. Some of our earliest designs are still part of the collection today. For us, quality over quantity has always been important – in the pieces we create, the materials we choose and the relationships we build with our customers and production partners.
We are both designing for lives that we actually live, so practicality is always somewhere in the conversation. Many pieces have started with one of us saying, “I wish I had this but I can’t find the right version.” We also pay attention to how our customers wear ALMADA. Sometimes you design something with one idea in mind and then see women styling it completely differently. That’s always inspiring.
For us, it comes down to the proportions, materials and the smaller details. A cashmere sweater is only a cashmere sweater until the shape, weight, neckline or the way it falls on the body makes it feel different. But it’s also about how the piece fits into your everyday life. We want getting dressed to feel effortless – you shouldn’t have to spend time steaming or ironing every morning just to look put together. We think a lot about materials and constructions that are easy to care for and pieces that you can just put on and feel good in.
Our cashmere pieces will always be important because that is where ALMADA started. The Bea trousers probably represent what the brand has evolved into – they’re simple but the fit, fabric and ease make people come back for another pair. We love pieces that become part of someone's everyday uniform rather than something they only wear once for a particular occasion.
On Staying Power In The Industry…
There’s so much that goes into building a fashion brand beyond the creative. We’ve learned so much along the way – from production and logistics to wholesale and all the operational details. Even something that sounds simple can become surprisingly complex as the business grows.
We’ve reached milestones we honestly couldn’t have imagined, like showing our first runway collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week. It was probably the first time we could step outside the day-to-day business for a moment and see ALMADA almost as someone else might see it. We’re also launching with NET-A-PORTER this September. It’s funny because you’re so focused on what’s next that you sometimes have to remind yourself to look back at how much has actually happened.
Not everything needs to be a big launch moment. Some of our strongest pieces have been in the collection for years. When customers return to buy a piece in another colour or replace something they have worn a lot, that means more to us than creating momentary hype around a product.
Our secret is focusing on doing fewer things really well. Quality over quantity has always been an important principle for us and it goes far beyond the clothes. Whether we’re designing a collection, choosing a retail partner, planning an activation or deciding on a new opportunity, we never do anything simply for the sake of growth. Growing in the right way is more important than growing quickly. As the business gets bigger, there’s pressure to do more but we try to consider where we put our time and energy.
We’re determined not to lose the instinctiveness ALMADA was founded on. We never want decisions to be driven entirely by spreadsheets or what the industry tells us we should be doing. Women will always want a mixture of the timeless and the new. Fashion should still be exciting but the definition of newness is changing. It doesn't need to be extremely trend-led – sometimes a different proportion, fabrication or way of styling something you already own is enough.
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On The Concept Of Personal Style…
ALMADA is a reflection of our personal style because we design every piece together. We both need to genuinely love something before we decide to develop it further and eventually put it into production. Of course, we have slightly different personal styles and might wear the same piece in completely different ways but that’s something we value in the design process. If something feels natural in both of our wardrobes, it’s usually a signal it has the versatility we want.
We both dress quite differently, which has always been useful for the brand. Alexa’s style is often a little more relaxed and masculine, whereas Linda’s t ends to be slightly more polished and feminine. Where we overlap is in simplicity. Neither of us likes feeling overly styled and we both tend to build outfits around really good individual pieces rather than lots of details.
The pieces we reach for repeatedly are great trousers, a black blazer, cashmere, a white shirt, simple flats and a really good coat. When we find a silhouette that works, we tend to wear variations of it rather than constantly trying to create completely different looks.
We are often more inspired by an attitude rather than an aesthetic. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy is an obvious reference because there was such restraint in the way she dressed. Nothing ever looked like it was trying too hard. Then there’s Lauren Hutton for the ease and masculinity she brings to tailoring and Phoebe Philo for the way she has always made practicality feel incredibly desirable. What they all have in common is that the woman seems to come before the clothes. We also love looking at women from different decades rather than only contemporary fashion. The outfits that still look relevant 20 or 30 years later are usually the most interesting.
Good style comes down to knowing yourself. The most stylish women aren't necessarily wearing the most fashionable things – they understand what works for them and repeat it with confidence.
Proportion and texture are what make a simple outfit feel considered rather than basic. If you're wearing something very simple, the fit becomes incredibly important. We also love mixing textures within a tonal look – cashmere with leather, suede with silk, or a very structured coat over something softer. It creates depth without needing to add more.
We usually like some contrast when it comes to proportions. If the coat or blazer is very oversized, it can be nice to have something slimmer underneath or to show a little ankle or wrist. But we also love volume on volume when the fabrics have enough movement. There aren't really any strict rules – the overall silhouette just has to feel balanced.
The easiest way to make a familiar piece feel completely different is changing the shoes. The same trousers can feel completely different with a pointed heel, a loafer, a ballerina or very minimal sandal. It is probably the easiest way to make the clothes you already own feel new again.
We don't really believe in having a separate work wardrobe. They overlap almost completely. For work, we might add tailoring or a more structured shoe, whereas at the weekend the same trousers and knit can be worn with flats and a coat.
Stop thinking about how many different outfits you can create and start paying attention to what you actually wear. Look at the pieces you reach for time and again and understand why you love them. Then buy better versions or complementary pieces rather than constantly introducing something completely different. Repetition is not boring – it is often how personal style develops.
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