Our Story
Who is Eugenia?
Hi! I’m Ali, and I am the one behind Eugenia hair clips. In early 2021, my father found two savings bonds given to me by my late grandmother, Helen Eugenia Koehler, and mailed them to me to use as I wished.
Gram, as we called her, loved children. She birthed three sons - Dave, Jon, and Drew (my dad) - and took in numerous foster children with my grandfather, who was a foster child himself. They eventually adopted one of their foster children, my Aunt Lisa, when she was only 6 months old. Her daughter Heather was born 5 days before me and is my best friend (hi Heather!).
Gram and Grandpa Lou were the home base for the neighborhood. If you needed a scrape cleaned up or some lunch, they were happy to provide. Gram used to say “you can always add more water to the pot” meaning you were always welcome at her table and she would make sure there was enough to go around for whoever was there. She was hard-working, frugal, and empathetic. If she had two cents and you had none, she’d give you one or both if you were in greater need. I adored her. I still do.
She would regale me and Heather with stories of her childhood, growing up on farms, walking train tracks, and jumping in creeks. She had a pet possum named Zeke and a black poodle named Inky. I remember spending summer vacations with Gram and Heather, rolling pennies to take to the bank so we could buy some treats or toys. When my dad sent me those two old savings bonds she had bought for my first Christmas, I knew I had to either save or invest them. It’s what she would have wanted.
I am a mother, a musician, a former nanny, a student of graphic design, and I have been producing clothing in Los Angeles since 2016. Eugenia is an intersection of all of these things as much as it is an homage to my grandmother. I invite you to join me on this journey. I’ll add some more water to the pot.