Today we’d like to introduce you to Alice Berry.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni (1980), recently completed my degree in Clinical Psychology and am a Licensed Professional Counselor. I have a 30-year background in the arts as a fashion, textile and installation designer, entrepreneur, and visual artist.
During the nineties, I transitioned from one of a kind clothing to a line of scarves and simple, interesting clothing shapes, distributing the lines wholesale, selling to boutiques and museums across the U. S. and internationally.
My work has been recognized by various museums and galleries around the country such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Saint Louis Art Museum, and the Weisman Art Museum, among others.
In October of 2008, Alice Berry Studio was the first independent design house have a runway presentation at the Cultural Center under the auspices of Fashion Focus, the City of Chicago’s fashion week.
I began my creative life in the 1980’s as a clothing designer, and around the turn of the century began to create artworks that were more concerned with ideas of perception and social influence, some within the realm of fashion, some not. I exhibited in galleries and art shows as well as professional venues and created performances that explored the subjectivity of people’s perception of color on a social and emotional level. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwahXvsUUqg .
Sometime during the year 2010, I came to a point where I needed a change, personally and professionally, and my investigations into cognitive psychology as it relates to color perception led me to return to academia and pursue a degree in Clinical Psychology.
I concentrate my counseling practice on working artists and creatives (individually, group or institutionally), looking to benefit this misunderstood and underserved population. My training included extended therapy with working creatives, and that experience showed me that artists and creative professionals tend to seek out the therapeutic counseling. There is a dearth of counseling available for people with the particular needs and sensibilities of working creatives, or people who identify as artists.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There are always problems when running a business, working with employees, stores, accounts, etc.
My counseling practice has been challenged by navigating all the rules and requirements of creating a counseling practice in Illinois.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Alice Berry Studio – what should we know?
My clothing is all one of a kind, and I now only create a limited selection of pieces according to warm and cool weather seasons. I incorporate unusual seaming and cuts in my garments, I am drawing on a vast collection of fabrics collected over the years, and I have also been creating my own surface designs on fabrics for my scarves shawls and clothing.
My counseling practice specializes in working artists and creative professionals. This is an underserved population here in Chicago.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My husband and son have been enormously supportive both when I was a full-time designer and now that I divide my time between counseling and clothing.
Pricing:
- My clothing and scarf line ranges from 45.00 for scarves to 700.00 or so for outerwear or special occasion pieces
Contact Info:
- Address: 1820 W. Cortland
- Website: http://aliceberry.com/ http://www.aliceberrypsych.com/
- Phone: 773-384-7279 (clothing) 872-588-5779 (counseling)
- Email: alice@aliceberry.com
Image Credit:
Eric Shropshire Photography
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