"This photo is taken in my bedroom right by the window, where I have taken
so many special photos of the children. On bright days, the sun streams
in bathing the wall in warmth - much needed in winter as our house
is very old and thus somewhat cold."
so many special photos of the children. On bright days, the sun streams
in bathing the wall in warmth - much needed in winter as our house
is very old and thus somewhat cold."
Ali Dover has circled her way back to the interests of her childhood and adolescence and managed to turn them into a thriving business. She grew up in the Lake District, a rural area in the north west of England. “Weekends were spent climbing the numerous mountains or exploring the lakes,” she says. “At six we moved en-famille to rural North Yorkshire where I spent eight mostly blissful years running around in the fresh air or reading books.” Later her family moved to the town of Leamington Spa where she developed an interest in fashion and style. After school Ali planned to go to the London College of Fashion to study fashion journalism but ended up with a BA Hons in English Literature from elsewhere. “Some things never go away, however, and I eventually ended up in the fashion office at Tatler magazine followed by a stint in the production office at Vogue,” she says. But the fit wasn’t right and Ali left Conde Nast to travel to New York and spent a year in search of her next direction.
It wasn’t until she returned to the UK and became pregnant that her path became clearer. She had three children: Billy, James and Lucy. After the birth of her youngest Ali became passionate about woven wraps. “The colours, textures, and the fact that I could keep her close - where she wanted to be,” she says. Her interest lead to an online shop selling baby slings but dissatisfied with the product shots she started to make her own so that she could style them too. Brands soon came calling, asking her to give their products her distinctive touch. “My ultimate dream back then was to have my own woven wrap brand one day, even though I couldn’t see how to make it happen; I find it remarkable to think I have achieved that, although I have a long road ahead of me,” she says. Ali is now working on two new wrap designs, and continues to photograph childrenswear for leading and independent labels.
1 As a child I used to wear… some fairly interesting ensembles. It was the ’70s so there was much cheesecloth, hand-knitted sweaters and many a pair of embroidered bell bottom jeans in my wardrobe.
2 My bedroom was… my flower power sanctuary in shades of lilac.
3 When I was a teenager I used to… go to the pub and drink Malibu and lemonade
4 After high school I wanted to be… editor of American Vogue.
5 A seminal moment was… Lucy’s birth, almost six years ago, where I discovered natural childbirth can be blissfully pain free.
6 I never thought I would… become a photographer!
7 I've learnt to… listen to my instinct - every time.
8 I know… that there is so much more I would like to know.
9 I share because… it builds trust.
10 If I had an unexpected morning to myself I would… de-clutter and then de-clutter some more - impossible to do with the littles around!
image courtesy of ali dover
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