Ala Von Auersperg

Born Princess Annie-Laurie von Auersperg, Ala Isham’s journey to the world of fashion is one that has been decades in the making. As a child, visits to Parisian couture houses with her mother, Sunny Crawford von Bülow, and grandmother, Annie Laurie Aitken, planted seeds in Ala’s mind that would ultimately take root much later in life. 

In 2009 when searching for a creative outlet, Ala discovered a talent for painting. Her friend and designer, Antonio Gual, suggested printing one of her original creations on a dress, and everything finally clicked.

Since then, Ala has poured all of her newfound passion and energy into Ala von Auersperg, her namesake label of women’s clothing. The process of creating her collection is an intimate one for Ala, with each piece beginning life not as a garment or pattern, but an original drawing or painting inspired by her nature, her home in Antigua, and things she finds most interesting. Ala paints or sketches whatever catches her eye, and from there, she works with her team to translate her art into a print that becomes the foundation for a one-of-a-kind garment.

Outside of the fashion world, Ala co-founded the National Center for Victims of Crime, an organization that provides victims of crime with rights, protection and services to help them rebuild their lives, and the Brain Trauma Foundation, which supports ongoing research on traumatic brain injuries, in 1985 and 1986 respectively. Ala’s work with both organizations is dedicated to the memory of her late mother. Together with her conservation efforts in Antigua, Ala is committed to empowering women and leaving the world a better place than how she found it.