Our Alessandra Reli Story
A Message from Our Founder
Alessandra Reli is all about sustainable Italian style which empowers women through all stages of their life.
Without ever really realising it, I have always been a conscious shopper from a young age. From raiding my Mamma’s wardrobe to tailoring and re-modelling my old clothes, the cost per wear of my entire wardrobe would now be pennies.
Many of my favourite items in my wardrobe are the ones handed down from my Mamma. She invested in some quality pieces which have been staples for both her and myself, and hopefully for my children too. This is where the inspiration for Alessandra Reli came from as I believe clothes should be more than just that, they should tell the story of our customers and their future generations.
Drawing on the heritage of my Italian grandmother (Nonna) and my Mamma’s effortless and sophisticated sense of fashion, we'll be giving you the capsule wardrobe which will enable you to dress with chic and elegant Italian style tailored to perfection.
Three Generations of Women
My Mamma - The brand is a tribute to her. Everything I have learnt about the fashion industry and my love of it, has come from her. In Kendal, the town where I was born, she was known as one of the best dressed ladies and people still come up to me now and tell me about how beautiful and elegant she is and how they wished they could dress with her sophisticated and classic style.
She has been giving me styling tips from the minute I was able to take an interest in it and I (and my friends) still live by these tips today. I’ll be sharing these with you along the way, so stay tuned for some pearls of wisdom from her.
My Nonna - She’s the one that brought the Italian style into the family. She was the most elegant lady you’d ever met, always so well put together. She ran the family business - Tognarelli’s cafe and worked there morning, noon and night. She loved the cafe, so much so that she refused to close it on a weekend, so my parents had to move their wedding day to a Thursday!
Our Italian Heritage
My Italian heritage comes from my Nonna, she was from Barga, Lucca and la famiglia is at the heart of any Italian’s life. Both my Mamma and Nonna place such importance on family, friends and human connection and this is something that I want to carry on through Alessandra Reli.
In 1935 my Bisnonno (Great Grandpa) Tognarelli set up Tognarelli’s Ice Cream Bar and Cafe in Kendal, Lake District. Tognarelli’s was a small, family run business that brought people together and it was famous in Kendal and the surrounding areas. People came to socialise, create memories and spend quality time with their loved ones and even now, to this day if you ask anyone of my parents age, they will know about and have fond memories of Tognarelli’s - I’m told it was the place to be day or night!
My Mamma and Nonna were regarded in Kendal and surrounding areas as always being immaculately dressed no matter the occasion.
Their secret, although it sounds simple, was flawless tailoring. No matter what you're wearing, clothes that fit perfectly elevate your outfit and make you look polished. I learnt this from my Mamma and it inspired me for the brand. Therefore, tailoring and fit is the focal point of everything we do at Alessandra Reli.