Elephant Embellishments was established in 2006 by the sisters, Lalon and Theresa Alexander. Originally it started as a custom hand embroidery and beading studio. The business progressed into a school as the sisters received multiple requests to teach the art form of hand beading and fashion embroidery. Today, the school helps to promote and teach tambour embroidery and beading, fashion embroidery, and other forms of embroidery or surface embellishment for fashion, theater, and art.
Dr. Lalon Alexander is co-owner of Elephant Embellishments and an associate professor of fashion management for the University of the Incarnate Word. She holds a Bachelor of Science in fashion design from Texas Tech University, a Master of Fine Arts in Costume Design from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master of Science in Creativity from Buffalo State Collage (SUNY), and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Higher Education from the University of the Incarnate Word. Additionally, Dr. Alexander has attended the London College of Fashion, the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Paris Fashion Institute, Lesage École de Broderie d’Art, the Art Cloth Mastery Program with Jane Dunnewold, and Claire Shaeffer’s Sewfari Workshops. Her embroidery and beadwork was shown in numerous Broadway shows such as Wicked and Spamalot, and films such as Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). Dr. Alexander pursues research on the hand embroidery and beading industry in addition to the relationship of art to design.
Dr. Theresa Alexander is the other half of Elephant Embellishments, as well as an associate professor of fashion management for the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. Dr. Alexander has a Bachelor of Science in fashion design from Texas Tech University, a Master of Art in clothing technology from Nottingham Trent University in England, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in higher education from the University of the Incarnate Word. Before teaching at the University of the Incarnate Word, she taught fashion design as an instructor for Texas Tech University and the Paris Fashion Institute. Dr. Alexander completed the couture embroidery and interior embroidery courses at Lesage École de Broderie d’Art. She has interviewed numerous European and Indian fashion embroidery artisans for her research in fashion embroidery. Additionally, Dr. Alexander was awarded special recognition in the 2009 Hand and Lock Prize for Embroidery for her artistry in hand embroidery.