Perry Ellis’ Daughter Breaks Away From Family Name
It’s easy to assume that progenies of our favorite stars or celebrities are automatically destined for success; that with minimal effort and a family name, these children can easily work their way into positions that most would have to strive and struggle to obtain. This isn’t the case with every famous family. Tyler Alexandra Gallagher Ellis, daughter of fashion designer Perry Ellis and television writer and producer Barbara Gallagher, led a relatively normal life until 2011 when she founded her own line of women’s handbags. Christening the lineTyler Alexandra, she worked her way into fashion from the bottom up, hoping to achieve success without falling back on her father’s famous name. Five years later she has a beautiful line of unique handbags that are worn by global socialites and Hollywood’s hottest.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Ellis originally went to school for film and television, intending to follow in her mother’s footsteps. After graduating with a degree in communications from Boston University, she went back to Southern California with intentions of starting her career in Hollywood. After realizing her passions lie elsewhere, she moved to New York, took a job at Michael Kors on Madison Avenue and started working in fashion. “I interned with him dressing and styling the runway show which was amazing and they were just so inspiring,” she toldJustLuxe. “They were just so real, it didn’t feel like the harsh scary fashion world.” After a few years in the industry she decided to start her own accessory line with little experience under her belt and only an idea of what she wanted to create. “Bold move, I know” she laughed. “You know what, go big or go home!”
And she did go big. Five years later Ellis is running a successful accessories company with clients from all over the globe. “I fe…
To elevate her everyday bag, Ellis uses some of the most unusual skins that we’ve ever seen. In addition to favorites like alligator, python and ostrich, she also designs with fish, shark skin and toad. “The first time I saw toad I had no idea what it was. I was like ‘wow, this material is so special and different’ and they were like ‘oh, it’s toad,’” she laughed. “And no one has ever guessed what material it is! I’ve literally asked every single person and no one can guess that it’s toad because it’s so beautiful and you think of toad, you’re like, ewww! But it has this unique texture, and I go by what I see and what I like and what I think is beautiful.” By using unique skins and unexpected materials she’s trying to create something special, an exceptional piece to add to your wardrobe.
Of course not every client is looking for atoadhandbag, so Ellis tries to balance the aberrant with the traditional. “I like to choose simple not over-the-top shapes— classic, timeless—you know something that my granddaughter could wear and it would still be [in style],” she told us. “Of course I have the lizard and the alligator, but I like to choose skins that are treated differently so it’ll have a special sheen to it, or a two-tone, or something just out of the ordinary. But I do have the basics and I do a lot of bespoke so if clients want to order a black alligator, yes I can make it.”
For customers that want to customize their own Tyler Alexandra bag, Ellis offers a bespoke service that includes monogramming, customized hardware and made-to-order skins. While she does have a selection of swatches to choose from, some clients can be very particular about the material they’re looking for. “The weirdest [request] I had was this banana yellow alligator skin for this huge bag, and we had to go hunting. It was really,reallyhard to find. It was for a client in Dubai and it was for this large bag so we had to find a huge skin and it took us a while,” she explained. “We found it … I think it took us like six months to find. We got it and she was very happy when she received her bag; it was a lot of sourcing.” While not every customization is quite that demanding, she will acquiesce to specific requests for things like shorter or longer straps, or the addition of an inner pocket. “But my interior color is my signature blue so that remains in everything,” she added. In addition to Dubai socialites, she’s also a favorite of A-list celebs like Emily Blunt, Margot Robbie, Bella Hadid, Chrissy Teigan, Gwen Stefani and Reese Witherspoon.