Stacey Bendet Eisner

To everyone who says late-night meetings and nonstop hustle are the only way: Stacey Bendet built a $200M-a-year fashion brand where school drop-offs, sick days, and family time are built into the schedule.

In 2002, Stacey gave herself an objective: make trousers sexy.

She designed a pair that were low-rise, slim at the hip, and made your legs look longer.

Lisa Kline spotted her on the street and ordered 20 pairs.

That same year, Bendet threw a fashion show at the Russian Tea Room.

She didn’t have any tops, so the show was topless.

It got attention.

Andrew Rosen, the co-founder of Theory, was there. He became her partner that day, and has been ever since.

That’s how Alice + Olivia started.

She grew it from a pants-only concept into a full lifestyle brand: ready-to-wear, gowns, handbags, shoes, eyewear, tech accessories, and even wallpaper.

Her fans include Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle, Gigi Hadid, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

But Bendet also built infrastructure for women.

When she launched Alice + Olivia, most fashion houses were male-run.

There were women designing, but few women owning and leading.

Bendet took on both roles: CEO and Creative Director.

She hired women. And kept them.

Alice + Olivia has a 96% female retention rate.

Why? Because she built the company around real life.

No meetings after 5.

No guilt for school pickups, sick kids, or family obligations.

Remote work when needed.

Paid maternity leave without drama.

She’s also vocal about sharing responsibilities at home.

She’s married to film producer Eric Eisner.

They have three daughters: Eloise, Scarlet, and Athena.

Outside of fashion, she’s building new ventures:
- Creatively: a job platform for creatives to find freelance and full-time work
- Big Feelings: a sleepwear-streetwear brand that donates proceeds from each drop to a different mental health nonprofit

In 2020, she co-founded #ShareTheMicNow, an Instagram campaign where Black women took over the accounts of high-profile white women.

She’s launched collabs with female artists, including Angelica Hicks and Lakwena Maciver.

Donates 10% of proceeds from Alice + Olivia’s activist t-shirt collections and special collabs, like the #AOCOMMUNITee line.

And partnered with Randi Zuckerberg to offer NFTs that came with course access for women entering the crypto economy, taught through Creatively.

She’s done collabs with the Beatles, Keith Haring, Grateful Dead, Booking.com, Zero Waste Daniel, Neiman Marcus, and more.

In 2022, the New York City Mayor’s Office officially proclaimed June 21st as “Alice + Olivia Day” in honor of the brand’s 20th anniversary and its impact on fashion, entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment.