Susan Alexandra

Playful New York accessories label branching into whimsical, sweet leaning indie fragrance.

Indie Official Website Also known as: Susan Alexandra

About Susan Alexandra

Susan Alexandra is a New York City based accessories brand created by designer Susan Korn, known primarily for its hand beaded bags, jewelry, and playful home goods. The brand operates out of NYC and emphasizes handmade production, with pieces crafted by hand in the city, which the company highlights as a way to support local, sustainable jobs. Susan Korn launched Susan Alexandra after working in fashion and gaining attention for her distinctive beaded handbags; she serves as the brand’s creative director, designer, and owner.

In 2024, Susan Alexandra expanded into fragrance with "Glorious," its first official scent, created in collaboration with perfumer Marissa Zappas. The perfume is presented as an extension of the brand’s colorful, whimsical aesthetic, tying the world of accessories and jewelry to scent and marking the brand’s entry into fine fragrance. This move positions Susan Alexandra as an indie lifestyle and accessories label that now uses fragrance as another medium within its creative universe.

The brand maintains its own ecommerce site, susanalexandra.com, and is stocked by fashion and lifestyle retailers such as Anthropologie, Lisa Says Gah, and others, reinforcing its positioning in the contemporary, trend driven niche of the market. While fragrance is currently a small part of the business, its development is closely linked to the brand’s existing visual identity and New York centric story.

At a Glance

The Brand

Founded 2015
Founder Susan Korn
Country United States
Category Indie

Scent Personality

Sweetness
High
Freshness
Mild
Boldness
High
Uniqueness
High

Worth It?

Price £££
Value
Moderate
Accessibility
Moderate

Scent DNA

Fruity Floral Gourmand
  • Susan Alexandra’s scent work so far mirrors its accessories aesthetic: colorful, sweet leaning, and a bit offbeat, with an emphasis on fun rather than classic perfumery codes
  • The debut fragrance Glorious is positioned as a vivid, personality driven perfume that feels more like a fashion accessory in scent form than a traditional fine fragrance

Typical Performance

Longevity
Moderate
Projection
Moderate

Positioning

A indie, premium house known for fruity compositions.

How It Compares

  • Similar playful fashion driven positioning to Moschino
  • Sweeter and more whimsical than Glossier
  • Less traditional perfumery focus than Jo Malone London
  • More accessories led lifestyle approach than Byredo

Who It's For

Best For

  • Creative daytime wear
  • Casual social occasions
  • Younger fashion focused buyers
  • Fans of sweet playful scents
  • Gifting alongside accessories

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

  • Distinctive, cohesive brand identity tied to NYC accessories culture
  • Scent concept aligned tightly with the visual aesthetic of the brand
  • Appeal to fashion and art oriented consumers
  • Strong storytelling and collaboration with an indie perfumer

Weaknesses

  • Very limited fragrance catalog to date
  • Distribution and testing opportunities for the perfume are relatively niche
  • Style may feel too whimsical or sweet for classic fragrance collectors

Brand Evolution

Susan Alexandra began strictly as an accessories and jewelry brand, building a following around its beaded bags and handmade NYC production. As the label matured, it added homeware and collaborations and ultimately extended its universe into fragrance with Glorious, using scent as another expression of its existing visual and cultural language. Future development is likely to involve more lifestyle products and potentially additional scents that stay close to the brand’s colorful, New York centric identity.

Quick Verdict

At this stage Susan Alexandra is an accessories first indie label with a nascent fragrance arm, best suited to buyers who treat perfume as part of a fashion look rather than a standalone olfactory hobby. If you enjoy sweet, playful concepts and New York centric storytelling, the brand’s scent direction is worth watching, but traditionalists may find the offering limited.

Perfumers

Susan Alexandra Perfumes