Ali LaBelle
A note from Amanda:
Ali Labelle is a Los Angeles based creative director. I met Ali last year when she came on to do the Iris+West re-brand. We connected over our love of a good glass of wine, enriching female friendships and museum book stores. At least once a week I am fan-girling over some interesting thoughts she’s penned in her newsletter, “À La Carte”, an event she is putting together, or saving a perfectly curated mood board she’s posted online. Please enjoy getting to know Ali and her joyful endeavors.
YOUR WORK IS SO FUN AND INTENTIONAL. WHEN WE WERE WORKING TOGETHER YOU SENT THIS REALLY THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONNAIRE OUT TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND THE BRAND. HOW DID YOU DEVELOP THOSE QUESTIONS AND WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WHEN YOU ASK THEM?
A few years ago I read about the Proust Questionnaire, which is a set of questions popularized by French writer Marcel Proust (I won’t get into the history of it but it’s really interesting if you’re curious!). Proust said that these questions, which are broad and can prompt both literal and more abstract answers, were the key to understanding someone’s true nature. The questionnaire’s approach has been used and adapted in a million different ways (think Vogue’s “73 Questions” series, the back page in Vanity Fair, and every personality quiz ever.)
I send a survey to clients at the beginning of a project that is partly inspired by Proust’s questions. People who start businesses put a ton of heart into what they’re making and I want them to feel an emotional tie to their branding, so the questions allow me to step into their mind and poke around a little. When someone hires me they aren’t just getting a logo or a website, they’re hiring me to create a visual world for their brand to live in, and I believe that world should have meaning and personality behind it. My survey has some practical questions too, but those are boring.
HOW’S YOUR NEWSLETTER GOING? WHAT ARE YOU ENJOYING THE MOST ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW?
It’s so fun! I started À La Carte a few months ago on a whim — I was antsy for a place where I could open up my inner world in a more meaningful way online. I tend to think of Instagram as my storefront, where you can peek through the window and get an idea of what I do and love, but through the door is where you can get the good stuff. The sort of early 2010s blog-esque quality of Substack allows me to play around a lot: I share weekly tips for fostering creativity and artists I love but I also have monthly “columns” for interviews and shopping round ups. I’m exploring things like giveaways and brand partnerships, and I just launched a discussion thread where subscribers can share jobs and creative opportunities for anyone looking. I’m trying a bunch of different things to see what feels right.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DREAM WEEKEND.
My favorite days are when a coffee date with a friend turns into a peek around a gallery and then you dip into a few shops and find something really fun to buy and then meet up with more friends and suddenly it’s night time and you’re at dinner eating really good food. A Saturday of that paired with a Sunday of nothing…the perfect combo.
WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT HOW WOMEN CONNECT AND SHARE INFORMATION WHEN WE WERE WORKING ON THE I+W REBRAND. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE WAYS TO CONNECT WITH THE WOMEN IN YOUR LIFE?
Days like I just described with new or old friends are so bonding — something about shopping together or looking at art together or eating together just brings us closer. I sincerely believe that the best things are the things you find out about from your friends: a cute sandwich place that just opened or a book they think you’ll love or a recipe to recreate Sweetgreen’s spicy cashew dressing or whatever else. We’ve gotten used to getting this information from influencers and people on TikTok, but I love when I find a show that I know my friend would be into or my sister tells me about a sample sale she heard about. I think it comes down to feeling known — female friendships are, to me, so meaningful because I feel seen within them.
OK… HOW DID PASTA GIRLFRIEND HAPPEN?
OKAY SO… Pasta Girlfriend is an Instagram account I started in 2017 out of sheer boredom. I’ve always loved pasta — I remember eating fettuccine alfredo at a bar mitzvah dinner when I was 12-ish and thinking “I only want to eat this from now until forever.” Many years later I was watching Master of None season 2 and I referred to Aziz’s Italian love interest (who grew up in a pasta shop) as his “pasta girlfriend”. The rest is history.
Since then it’s become kind of a *thing*. The account is 99% pasta memes, New Yorker cartoons, pasta artworks, tabletop pics, and other images that I just repost from various parts of the internet, but it’s grown into a little community. I started posting monthly round-ups of photos people submit to me of themselves eating pasta, sort of a “Playmate of the month” vibe but with spaghetti, and it’s kicked off an interactive aspect of the account that wasn’t there before. Last year I dabbled in product, events, and collaborations, and I’m starting to think about what will come next…maybe PGF’s official merch (finally.)
HOW CAN WE SUPPORT YOU?
If you have a brand or business that needs creative support, whether that is branding-related or something else, please reach out! I’m about to launch my creative studio (website coming soon) and we’re taking on new clients. Reach out at hello@alilabelle.co!
Outside of that, you can follow me on Instagram at @alilabelle, Pasta Girlfriend at @pastagirlfriend, or subscribe to my newsletter here.
