It was all in the timing for Phoebe Gazal who, after 15 years of running Papier D’Amour, decided it was time for a new venture.
Her new brand Every Other Way made its debut to align with the launch of Alice Pleasance, a collaboration with Walt Disney. Gazal still remembers the day she got the call and thought a friend was playing a prank on her.
“One day as I was just sitting in my office, I got a call from Kylie Watson-Wheeler, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company Australia,” she says.
“I was googling Kylie while she was on the phone to check if she was who she really claimed to be and yes, she certainly was! When we finally met, Kylie presented ‘Alice Pleasance Wonderland’ to me. It was a brand she had imagined and wanted to bring to life. The name came about because the Lewis Carroll character, Alice in Wonderland’s middle name is Pleasance.
“Kylie imagined the range debuting with stationery as it is one of her passions and so it began. We are now in the midst of designing the second range and it is very exciting as it evolves. We work very closely with Disney so we stay true to the vision. The design process is the usual back and forth and is forever developing. Often, our starting point is very different to the end result and product range that hits the retailers’ shelves.”
Alice Pleasance is a premium lifestyle brand that encapsulates the mindset and personality of Alice in Wonderland as she would be as a style maven in today’s world, explains Gazal, and with an incredible sense of style and a worldly view, Alice Pleasance embodies all women who are willing to take a chance on the unexpected.
“It’s a vibrant, optimistic, textured brand for the stylish woman who has the confidence to take the ‘leap down the rabbit hole’ to escape from the mundane.
“Lines include luxury stationery such as correspondence cards, notebooks and pens, leather accessories including wallets and wristlets, plus travel and lifestyle and a few whimsical items such as illustrated playing cards.
“Many of the products feature quotes such as, ‘she generally gave herself very good advice, but she very seldom followed it’, which is one of my favourites,” Gazal enthuses.
The brand is about to launch in the UK and while she sees a bright future for Alice Pleasance, which with the support of Walt Disney will rival many of the international brands that are so sought after by discerning Australian shoppers, Gazal is also looking forward to launching her own range of products under the Every Other Way label.
“However, while we would like to expand we are happy to keep the business small and manageable so we stay in touch with our customers and the market and have precious time to spend with our families.”
Every Other Way will be exhibiting at Life Instyle August in Melbourne.
By Marion Gerritsen
