The South Philly Designer Making Badass Jumpsuits and ’90s-Style Streetwear

Alnika Lovello of Lovello Elizabeth at Jasper Studios. Photograph by jauhien Sasnou

South Philly native Alnika Lovello launched Lovello Elizabeth, her line of ’90s-evoking, pulled-together streetwear, in 2014. Now, she has 58K Insta followers and can’t stock her studio fast enough.

What I Make: “Versatile get-up-and-go outfits for people on the move: stretchy jumpsuits, men’s classic sweat suits, rompers, biker shorts.”

How It’s Done: “We go through a design process with an illustrator, then send that to our manufacturer in Guangzhou, China. We do several rounds of changes, like adjusting the waistband or zippers.”

How I Began: “I started my own line just for fun. I really didn’t want to do just your regular two-piece sweat suits. The jumpsuit was ahead of its time. It took almost three years for it to sell, and now it’s nonstop orders.”

Most Popular Item: The Zentai II jumpsuit (from $130). “Black is the best-seller. You can wear it to work, out to the club, lounging, wherever.”

What Inspires Me: “Mostly music and my family. I wasn’t young saying, ‘I want to do fashion.’ I just decided to try to create something new, something the city wanted but didn’t have.”

The Latest: “We’re opening a local storefront in the near future.”

Buy at: Lovelloelizabeth.com or Jasper Studios in Kensington, by appointment.

Published as “Suit Up” in the June 2019 issue of Philadelphia magazine.