This Former J.Crew and Madewell Designer Has a Whole New Brand (That You're Going to Want to See)

“Wake up. Get Dressed. Don’t overthink it.”

Isn’t that how we should all approach getting ready in the morning? Well, that’s what fashion designer Somsack Sikhounmuong has in mind when he’s creating clothing—and we’re pretty sure you’ve already worn some of his pieces. See, he spent the last 16 years leading the design teams at Madewell and J.Crew, but now has a whole new exciting gig (that your wardrobe is going to love).

Sikhounmuong is now the design director at Alex Mill, where he’s still whipping up elevated basics with a twist; you know, the kind of clothes that you’d feel comfortable wearing to the office...five days in a row.

Alex Mill started off in 2012 in pursuit of making the ideal button-down for guys. But after Sikhounmuong joined in February 2019, the brand’s offering expanded to include women’s clothing with a rather unique point-of-view.

Sikhounmuong quizzed PureWow: “You know how a guy wakes up and it’s pretty simple for him to get dressed?” Of course, they just grab a button down or t-shirt, a pair of jeans and they’re out the door. It’s so, so simple.

He continues: “Well, women want to look good and not have it be complicated in the same way a guy does. There should be an ease to how you look and it shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. It shouldn't take an hour to put your outfit together.”

That explains why we can’t stop obsessing over Alex Mill’s pale pink boilersuit (that’s their best-seller, BTW) that goes for $178, a khaki midi skirt that will set you back $128 and an easy, oversize button-down that comes in an array of colors and costs less than $100. While not exactly cheap, Alex Mill pieces are sound investments that will fill those gaping holes in your wardrobe—which is exactly what they were designed to do.

Sikhounmuong says: “We did an exercise at the office with 25 women's pieces and we just came up with maybe a hundred combinations. That’s the fun part about a lot of these pieces, they’re just so versatile.”

If you want to do your own experiment in Alex Mill wares (before ordering the entire collection online), stop by their new pop-up at 63 Greene Street in Soho, New York City. Alongside the typical Alex Mill wares, there will be vintage pieces that Sikhounmuong curated from Front General Store, plus vegan shoes from Marais and Bata Heritage sneakers.

Yeah, sounds like Soho's newest one-stop-shop has arrived.