Barring my family, nothing fuels my senses more than weaving detail-driven beauty into everyday life.
Designer Alina de Albergaria’s innate need to create was continually nurtured as she watched her mother design and fabricate her summer dresses while living in the US and winter wool coats in England. But what really fueled that obsession was her family’s relocation to Venezuela. That first summer she lived with her uncle, a tailor and fine artist in whose atelier de Albergaria spent countless hours making clothes for herself and her dolls with all the linen, silk, and cotton remnants she could forage. That creative passion led her to studies in architecture, figure drawing, painting, writing, and acting.
Following a seventeen-year career in Hollywood as a bilingual producer, writer, host, and entertainment journalist, de Albergaria relocated to Santa Barbara to start a family. A desire to own modern jewelry that paired well with her classic wedding rings and favorite articles of clothing by designers like Altuzarra, Smythe, and Zimmerman, gave birth to Designs by Alina’s first jewelry line in 2014. De Albergaria aimed to create a collection that, like those rings, could stand the test of time. “Much of the prominent jewelry carried in my favorite boutiques,” says Alina, “appealed to my sense of style but lacked in quality, especially with regard to the materials used.” De Albergaria continues to scour the market for the finest materials to design her unique creations around them,
Harbor Island, the source of inspiration for the first collection.
With her family in Santa Barbara. Photo by Trevor Tondro, courtesy of Santa Barbara Magazine.
During the pandemic, desperate to channel her creative energy into serving her community, the designer fabricated Belgian linen and Fortuny fabric masks donating 100% of net proceeds to Direct Relief. That venture led de Albergaria, obsessed with home decor (Santa Barbara Magazine) to the successful launch of Designs by Alina’s first gift and home collection in November 2021. Like her jewelry, the collection is a fusion of artistry and design with a classic meets modern approach. Each piece is meticulously hand-crafted with the finest materials from around the globe.
As a former journalist, writing is never far from Alina’s heart. Through her blog she gives her readers an intimate look at lifestyle, travel, motherhood, home, and design. Her website, Penned by Alina (also a byproduct of the pandemic) showcases her poetry.
Grateful for her mentors and the life she has carved, De Albergaria is committed to giving back by partnering with nonprofits from coast to coast, including San Francisco's Children of Shelters, Foodbank, Dream Foundation, Santa Barbara City College Scholarship Foundation, Ojai's Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation, Direct Relief, United Way, and in conjunction with Elizabeth Charles Boutique, the Scarlet Fund in New York, and Documenting Hope in Connecticut.
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beauty and inspiration...forever entwined