The people
What they build
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On the TechTO stage
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About
Aille Design grew out of Alexa Jovanovic's final-year fashion research at Ryerson University, where she interviewed blind and low-vision women about dressing. One told her she only wore black to avoid mismatching colours; another bought clothes in clashing textures rather than colours so she could tell items apart by touch. Jovanovic noticed that beads and braille dots are close to the same size, and built a line where the beading is functional: it spells out the garment's colour, fabric, care instructions and intended fit. The braille is made from Swarovski crystal pearls and is legible, not decorative-only. Garments are designed through a co-design process with blind, visually impaired and sighted collaborators — Jovanovic's argument on the TechTO stage was that accessible products only succeed if the wider market wants them too, so Aille builds one fashion-forward line rather than a mainstream line plus a separate adaptive line. The brand launched in January 2020 with a black t-shirt reading 'Fashion is for Everyone' in braille. Jovanovic co-founded the company with Jake Walsh, who manages operations; the pair went full-time in 2022. In 2024 Aille released a Barbie x Aille collection with Mattel alongside the first Blind Barbie Fashionista doll. The company moved its headquarters from Toronto to Buffalo, New York, where it works out of the Foundry and produces with local partners including Stitch Buffalo.
Backers
The University at Buffalo's Cultivator startup program invested $100,000 in Aille Design in 2024 — that figure is confirmed. No other investors are publicly sourced; the company appears to be otherwise founder-funded and revenue-funded, but that is an assumption rather than a sourced fact.
Quick answers
What does Aille Design make?
Clothing and accessories with fully legible braille beaded into the fabric using Swarovski crystal pearls. The braille describes the garment's colour, fabric, care instructions and how it is meant to fit — Jovanovic's example on stage was an oversized jacket, where the braille tells a wearer the loose fit is the style, not a sizing mistake.
Why is it called Aille?
It is pronounced 'eye'. The company was originally called Braille in Fashion, as an undergraduate research project. Jovanovic said at TechTO in February 2020 that they rebranded 'to something a little more catchy' when it became a fashion startup.
Is Aille Design Canadian?
It started in Toronto — the idea came out of Jovanovic's fashion research at Ryerson University, and she is from Niagara Falls, Ontario. The company has since moved its operations and headquarters to Buffalo, New York, where it received a $100,000 investment from the University at Buffalo's Cultivator program in 2024.