Andrew in Alamere's City Puff jacket.
Alamere Designs co-owners Andrew Langsdorf and Joanne Huang both grew up spending a lot of time outdoors, from snowboarding in the winter to camping and beach trips in the summer. "When starting Alamere, we wanted to create clothing that was technically sound to take to all these places, but could also fit in around town without looking too sporty or flashy," Andrew says. "We use as many sustainable fabrics as possible, such as merino wool and recycled-content fleece, and manufacture everything in the Bay Area."
Learn more about these San Francisco designers and their assistant pup, Fuzz.
Where do you draw inspiration? Or who inspires you?
Design inspiration can come from anywhere – nature, art, food - basically anything created simply and elegantly. Even a walk through many of the vintage stores in our neighborhood can spark ideas from clothing generations old; an interesting cuff, collar, or stitch line that we’ve never seen before can grow into an entirely new design for us.
If you could eat at any food truck, what would it be? And what would you get?
Joanne in front of their favorite food truck.
Easy consensus for us – brave the long line at Senor Sesig and get the California Sesig Burrito with pork, medium spicy. Maybe add fried egg if you’re feeling adventurous. Refer to photo for evidence :)
What do you like most about the maker community?
We love being a part of the local maker community and meeting other designers through organizations like SF Made, and through the awesome retailers we work with. It is always inspiring to see the wide range of skills, passions, and personalities of fellow local makers. We share local manufacturing battle scars, ideas, and help each other feel like we’re not the only ones trying to breathe life into our ‘crazy idea’.
Women's softshell jacket.
Where is your favorite place to travel?
Currently, we can’t get enough of the California Sierras. There are so many incredible places to go - Yosemite, Tahoe, Emigrant Wilderness (highly recommend Gem Lake!) - all with enormous mountains, alpine lakes, and old redwoods.
What do you want for your next birthday?
Joanne: a Tahoe weekend in a ski cabin with good friends
Andrew: a trip somewhere warm with surfing and beach time
Joanne and Andrew's dog Fuzz.
What does your work space look like?
We work out of a studio in the Upper Haight with high ceilings and enough space for a cutting table, tons of fabric swatches, a small photo studio, and several racks of clothes filled with samples and completed production. Our team also includes a very expressive dog, Fuzz, who basically runs the show.
