Jimmy Alexander is a self-taught designer from East Sussex, England. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
Jimmy graduated with a joint honors degree in Drama & Theatre Studies and Media, Culture & Society from the University of Birmingham. Following the views of others that he wasn’t a creative, Jimmy explored careers in advertising and entertainment management. But shutting out this creative voice led to a breaking point. Upon a moment of reflection and self-re-evaluation, Jimmy decided to follow his instinct and embrace his creativity. He tried acting for a year then moved to LA to lead brand and culture for a music and art festival.
Emboldened by his new creative footing, Jimmy came to the realization that he had the answer all along; he ascertained how to express himself. The way he dresses affects his mood and his outward demeanor. He realized he could apply his taste, values and perspective in an industry that aligns to his singular vision. Fashion offers a rare opportunity (a little like music), where one can create a world. Further, in that world, the product and brand can be two sides of the same coin. He began creating the world of “all beneath heaven” in May of 2020.
“all beneath heaven was born from a search for meaning; an experiment for learning. What began as sketching my own ideas for garments started feeling like a mirror of my reading and practice in Eastern philosophy. These melded into a wardrobe that I would want to wear to tell my story; there was no separation of instinctive sketching and a knowing of how all beneath heaven would take form in identity, principles, and meaning; the two came together.”
The aesthetic is playful, poetic, and hyper-real employing classic shapes with exaggerated features and an overall focus on the wearer's ability to flow. all beneath heaven was conceptualized in Los Angeles and brought to life in South India alongside Vogue 100 Innovator Nishanth Chopra, a leader in ethical sustainability who runs Oshadi Collective, all beneath heaven's manufacturing partner.
All bespoke fabrics are 100% organic, as are the dyes. Silk thread, metal, and glass are the materials for embroidery. Linings are pure silk; buttons, mother of pearl. All the prints are hand-painted before being engineered for printing and tailoring. Luxury is in the details. The shapes of the garments are inspired by menswear tailoring yet deeply embrace feminine notions -made to work across body sizes, genders, and wearability.
all beneath heaven revisions the semantics of “collections” using “chapters” and “expressions”. Seasonal outputs are referred as “Chapters”. Concepts are “Expressions”, ephemeral ideas executed on blank canvasses. Timeless, these “house shapes” define an enduring silhouette.
In exploring and re-interpreting tropes as expressions, Prologue establishes the context of all beneath heaven through an abstract autobiography of its creator Jimmy Alexander. With the expressions in Prologue, Jimmy Alexander attempts to hold a mirror to his pursuit of self and the values and philosophies he lives with: Zen mind is children’s mind.
Reach for the Stars Within
Universe maker / Why tire reaching for the stars / when all is within
This Expression is based on the Zen insight that life resides only in the mind; there is no inside or outside; external desires are a one-way road to impermanence while going within is the only route to enlightenment and a whole self. It materializes on house shapes as hand painted prints: a “ladder to the universe” print accented with a glass and metal hand-embroidery, a “head in the clouds print”, a “you are the universe” print, and a hand knitted wrap cardigan, weighing over 2.5kg, using pure pashmina sourced from Tibetan refugees.
An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig
A work of fictionalized autobiography exploring the concept of Quality is an annual read for Jimmy; it was transformational in his journey to find meaning.
“Care and Quality are internal and external aspects of the same thing. A person who sees Quality as they work is a person who cares. A person who cares about what they see and does is a person who’s bound to have some characteristic of Quality.” Robert M. Pirsig
Quality, like the Tao, is both cause and effect, and the only power given to humans is to provide care. Care is precious, and by applying it with meticulous generosity, the face of Quality may appear. all beneath heaven acts as a continued investigation into the metaphysics of Quality with this lens and materializes this expression as hand painted prints: one shirt features the front and back of a stoic statue figure on a motorcycle accented with a magneticly removanle hand embroidered lotus flower and mirrors; the other a print of ‘Paradise Valley’, an area in Montana where the books character passes through and makes the observation ‘to travel is better than to arrive,’ which is references on the back.
The Big I always / Free as a Bird in the Sky / Clipped only by ‘me’
The bird in shadow puppet represents freedom as something one creates for oneself and the discovery of self-acceptance. all beneath heaven is the manifestation of Jimmy’s journey toward freedom by taking responsibility for himself and having the necessary courage to create true self-realization. It lays on the Flow Suit Jacket and Pants as well as the Spread Short Sleeve as a colorful and joyful hand painted print.
Making Darkness Conscious
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious” Carl G Jung
The embroidered shadow puppets expression refers to the concept of the shadow self, an unconscious aspect of the personality that does not fit with the ego ideal.
“The puppets are my translation of the goal of ego and shadow being brought together in unity; my continued efforts to welcome the parts of myself that are difficult to accept on a journey toward wholeness.” Jimmy Alexander
Looking at his formative artist’s life as art and the art they created, this expression salutes some of their life moments and creations that have shaped Jimmy: Hand painted interpretations of a postcard from Frida Kahlo to her doctor complete with a lipstick kiss, another from Picasso to Gertrude Stein bringing to life his competitiveness with Matisse, a manifestation of a swimming pool print inspired by another Brit-come-California resident, David Hockney, a Trompe-l'œil actualization of a denim jacket worn by Sir Peter Blake in his painting “Self-Portrait with Badges”, and 3D embroidered handwriting of Matisse from his book ‘Jazz.’
The collection rounds off with a 3D printed heart with one side featuring anatomical details and the other, the words ‘listen’; available in 14k gold, sterling silver and steel coated options.
Through playful and hyper-real designs, Jimmy makes a case for clothing as meaningful, poetic, a tool for mental health, and an opportunity for self-discovery. With flowing shapes and draping, a balance of tailored elevation and comfortable wearability, all beneath heaven empowers its wearer to feel fluid and achieve a relaxed and elevated state.
