Designer Alejandra Alonso Rojas’ Luxury Women’s Fashion Brand Is Her Heritage

“My brand is my heritage,” Madrid-born designer Alejandra Alonso Rojas, 39, told WWD during her summer holiday in Menorca, Spain.

“Spain, dimension-wise, isn’t the biggest country in the world, but I feel in terms of art and culture, it’s one of the richest ones. It has such a heritage from all the artists, history, architecture — there’s so, so much. All of that was my motivation to start my brand,” she said. Since the inception of her label in 2016, Alonso Rojas’ love of her culture and heritage has been influential and infectious; each design imbued with the thoughtfulness, curiosity and creativity she’s been engrained with since a young age.

While her heritage has richly influenced her New York-based luxury women’s brand, she said those influences are very innate to her, as she is a fourth generation hand-knitter who combines traditional and modern techniques to craft each collection.

“When I was younger, I remember having yarn on my fingers or a crochet hook and needles, and making things from zero. To me, the heritage that I have from Spain is all the craftsmanship, which to me, is the ultimate luxury. You’re not just working, you’re really making something that is meant to last. That is how I grew up,” she said, recalling her grandmothers’ wardrobes of handmade gowns and Balenciaga dresses — “smaller, but more pure,” curated wardrobes filled with traditional craft, elegance and sophistication (pillars of her eponymous label). 

Alonso Rojas imbues her collections with these rich inspirations, such as childhood trips to the South of Spain that were in mind when designing her upcoming spring 2025 collection or Botero sculpture-inspired motifs and rich blue hues within her stellar resort 2025 lineup.

“The colors are different as you move around the countries. From a tabletop when you go to a restaurant to the food, or the spirit of the people in the different regions in Spain, has really inspired me,” she said. Alonso Rojas pulls inspirations from different parts of the country for their rich, unique cultures — such as the easefulness of Menorca, or the sophistication of Barcelona. Furthermore, her mother and grandmother inspire her for their bold creativity alongside the likes of iconic Spanish artists including Cristóbal Balenciaga, Salvador Dalí and filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar.

“I think the beauty of this project is that all of these Hispanic designers are from different countries, different regions, but the thing we all have in common is our language and heritage. It’s going to be really nice for people to learn more about each person’s culture and country,” she said. 

“What really brings us all together is that we speak Spanish,” she said, noting that still today, although they are slowly changing, she feels there is a misconception of Spanish speakers and Spanish culture in the United States. 

“When my mother comes [to New York], she can manage English, but she never has to do it because she can speak Spanish anywhere. I always wonder why it isn’t a mandatory second language in schools. You need to know Spanish if you live in the U.S.,” she said, adding that she and her husband taught their son Spanish as his first language, which is spoken almost exclusively in their Manhattan home.

Her advice on embracing heritage to young creatives getting into the fashion industry is the same advice she would give to her son.

“I would advise designers not to force it. If you love your culture, I think it would come naturally. I feel like sometimes people are just cutting and pasting, rather than letting things flow. We should all be proud of where we come from, whether we are first generation, second generation. Thinking about young designers, I’m also thinking about my son. I’m raising someone that I want to be proud of who he is. I want him to love his heritage. Yes, he was born in New York, but you ask him, he says he’s from Spain,” she said.

“I love it because I never wanted him to be ashamed of not speaking perfect English with his friends right now. On the contrary, he always wants to show them. As a designer, you should also do the same — embrace it. I would recommend visiting and spending time [in the country or region] — seeing the artisans, learning, the food, the language. Immersive yourself — it’s in your blood and it will come back and influence your work,” she said. 

Alonso Rojas said she believes the beauty of today is how global the world is. While her work is completely influenced by Spain, it also intertwines her life in New York through modern approaches to traditional craft. 

“It’s great to embrace who you are and loving and just do it your own way. You don’t have to do things the same way that other people do,” she said. “We should embrace [culture] rather than abandon it or mimic what everyone else is doing in the U.S. to be American. I love living in New York, but I never had the thought of changing everything so people would think I’m American. I feel like people that were forced into that, even indirectly . . . it shouldn’t be like that.”

Throughout each collection, Alonso Rojas dives deeply into researching the traditions and customs of each technique and cultural inspiration — something the industry as a whole, she noted, should be implementing more.

“I’m still shocked how people mix things,” she said, such as styling Mexican flowers with flamenco dresses — examples of different cultures she’s seen being inappropriately grouped together in photoshoots or movies. In order for this to change, people who are in charge of these roles, such as set design or styling, should be from the countries and cultures depicted. If not, those at the helm should absolutely spend much more time putting in the research. 

“From a brand [perspective], talking about it more publicly [could help the world] get to a better place,” she added. “I don’t think people are doing it in a bad way, but it can become very costumey the way they represent the culture. I’ve been in some situations where I’m very uncomfortable; I’m really learning to speak up, or explain it in a way for people to learn more about it, but it’s crazy sometimes.”

“Everything’s getting better so at least I have hope,” Alonso Rojas said. “I don’t know everything out of every culture, but I would take time to learn, immerse [myself] and do things the right way.”

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, WWD chose 10 Latino designers who are shaping the world of fashion today to photograph and profile. The images from this series will be featured in a national billboard campaign run by Outfront.