Alejandra di Andia

Alejandra di Andia, also documented as Alejandra Sulitzer, is a Chilean-born fashion designer raised in France. She was born in Santiago to a Chilean father and Scottish mother and moved to France with her family at the age of ten. Her training combined drawing at the Instituto per l’Arte in Florence with fashion studies at the school of the Chambre Syndicale in Paris, followed by professional experience at houses including Torrente and Balmain.

In 1992 she entered Carven’s couture succession while Madame Carven was still active. Contemporary image archives place both women at the Spring/Summer 1992 haute couture presentation and identify di Andia as the designer of Autumn/Winter 1992–93 couture. The period belongs to the final phase of the founder’s active tenure and gives di Andia a specific place in the house’s transition before Madame Carven retired at the end of 1993.

Di Andia later developed her own work. She launched La valise d’Alejandra in 1997, produced ready-to-wear sold through Paris and New York retailers, and moved into a private salon serving international clients. Her later practice has included bridal clothing, corporate uniforms and fashion consultancy, extending couture training into smaller-scale commissioned and commercial work.

Di Andia’s work is grounded in clean cut, easy combination and the discipline of couture construction. Accounts of her independent collections emphasise simple, well-cut clothes designed to move across a wardrobe, with production kept in France and specialist knitwear made in Naples.

Her career moves across couture, ready-to-wear and private-client work without separating them into incompatible languages. Precise fit and finish provide continuity, while the product can shift from a Carven couture collection to a saleable wardrobe, bridal commission or uniform. That flexibility is central to the practical character of her work.