At the Table With: Somsack Sikhounmuong
Ft. pasta vongole and the pope’s socks
At The Table With is a monthly interview series that explores the ideas of creativity and personal taste through the eyes of my friends (or people I would like to be friends with). This month’s guest is Alex Mill’s co-founder and creative director, Somsack Sikhounmuong!
Something about Alex Mill spoke to me as soon as I saw it. I tend to stick with classics in my own wardrobe—a favorite white tee, jeans that mold to your body, roll-neck knits—so when the brand relaunched in its current form in 2018 (with Somsack at the creative helm), I quickly placed an order for an olive green jumpsuit, not really knowing what the quality would be like or if it would even fit.
Reader, it fit. And it was perfect. Little details like belt loops and a detachable waist tie, a lived-in twill with a tiny bit of stretch, and deep patch pockets made it the perfect blend of utility and style—something that didn’t just work on my body type but that could be adjusted to fit lots of body types. I felt considered in the design process—a feeling that doesn’t come around often. From then on, I became an Alex Mill loyalist.
If you follow Alex Mill’s Instagram or Somsack’s Substack, Somstack (lol), you’ve probably caught peeks at the mind behind the design. Som clearly has an encyclopedic knowledge of fashion history and garment design, but he’s also got the rare gift of being able to translate it all into something modern, wearable, and accessible to the rest of us. Som’s newsletters about sneaking into NYFW shows in the ‘90s with a disposable camera and collecting vintage for the love of it are full of passion and reverence for a pre-iPhone, pre-influencer fashion world, and it’s all balanced with clever hacks like how to keep your tote bag straps on your shoulder (the answer: plastic cable ties) or what to do if you love The Row but not its prices (Muji, sized up.)
All that to say, I really appreciate Som’s thoughtful perspective on design, style, and making things that last, so I was so excited to be able to ask him a few questions about all of it.
Ali LaBelle: First things first, tell us a little about yourself.
Somsack Sikhounmuong: I grew up in a small blue collar town just outside of Toronto called Oshawa. I moved to NYC to attend Parsons School of Design, graduated, and shortly thereafter got a job at J.Crew designing socks. 29 years later I’m still in NYC, but now I’m a partner and creative director of Alex Mill.
In terms of what I'm working on right now, well, it’s a combo of trying to figure out if our Spring ‘26 men's suits should have welt pockets or patch pockets; how to do linen differently for Summer ‘26; and what I’m going to order for dinner after I land from my flight home from Madrid, which I’m on right now.
AL: As a fellow details enthusiast, something I really love about your approach to design is that it considers the smallest, often neglected parts of a garment, like interior pockets, backer buttons, and contrast stitching. Why do the details matter?
SS: To say there are a lot of clothes out there would be an understatement, so when we relaunched Alex Mill in 2018, it was really important for the team and me to agree that we weren’t making more clothes but the right clothes. Oftentimes the right clothes have a lot to do with the right details. For me, it’s that one detail that makes me say, “Okay, I have a few jackets already, but none of them have these backer buttons.” Or, “Why did I need to buy these chinos? It was the cool cuff on the hem with the offhanded fit and the small coin pocket on the front.” The details, for me, are often the reason I go from just liking something to loving and wanting it to needing it.
AL: I’m always jotting down the vintage shops you mention in your newsletter, Somstack—you seem to just know *the spots*. How does shopping vintage play into your design process at Alex Mill? What styles or silhouettes do you find yourself referencing the most?
SS: Have you ever found something at a vintage store and loved it, but either found the fit to be irrelevant for 2024, the fabric to be too synthetic, the stains or odor to be unbearable, or all of the above? We are huge fans of vintage when designing but are always looking for ways to improve on the reference. A good example would be our jeans that launched last year—I probably have 25 pairs of vintage jeans in my closet, and I love them all for different reasons, but I thought, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if all those reasons existed in one jean? The perfect wash, fit, AND fabric?” So that was the angle we set out with when we started designing the line two years ago—take the best of what we love and make it relevant for today.
AL: I’ve learned about some great brands with long histories via Alex Mill, like the Milanese shoemaker Porselli and the Roman tailoring shop Schostal. Do you have any other go-tos for classics you’d be willing to share with us?
SS: Gammarelli in Rome for beautiful silk socks. Even though it supplies the pope with his socks, mere mortals are welcomed.
AL: What’s next for Alex Mill? Is there anything you’re particularly excited about coming up this year?
SS: Well, I just ordered my customary ginger ale from the flight attendant on my flight back to JFK from Madrid where we spent two days shooting our next summer campaign—stay tuned. I’m pretty excited because it's one of our best seasons yet—color, linen suiting, silk dresses… And the photos are great!!! It launches in May.
AL: Let’s do a little visualization exercise! Imagine your dream dinner party. You can invite anyone (living or not, famous or not), serve anything, and host it anywhere. Where’s the party?
SS: Da Adolfo in Positano, the best beachside restaurant in all of Italy.
AL: What’s on the table? How are you decorating?
SS: Paper placemats, pitchers of peach sangria, grilled prawns, plates of vongole, and trays of tiramisu.
AL: Who’s invited?
SS: I like to keep my parties small—it’s just easier to talk to everyone. James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem, Linda Evangelista, my friend Rose (who is great at parties and comes with a ton of strange conversation starters and questions), and either my sis or my bestie Micah (a security blanket of sorts).
AL: What’s the dress code? What are you wearing?
SS: Sooooo casual. I’ll probably be in my swim trunks and bare feet or flip flops.
AL: What music is playing?
SS: LCD Soundsystem or an ‘80s Spotify mix.
AL: Quick fire round. What’s your favorite scent or smell?
SS: Freshly baked bread.
AL: Favorite artist?
SS: Vermeer.
AL: Something you bought recently?
SS: Our Cooper Suit in Glenn Plaid linen (wedding season is upon us) and a souvenir baseball hat from Madrid.
AL: Last thing you read?
SS: The first ten pages of Ninth Street Women.
AL: Comfort food?
SS: Thai papaya salad, extra spicy.
AL: Something fun you just did?
SS: A few weeks ago we did a live figure drawing class at the National Arts Club in Gramercy—it’s a fun creative outlet but I’d go to see the building alone. The Arts Club was started in 1898 by an art critic at the New York Times—it’s a piece of NYC history.
Thank you for being here, Som! Be sure to subscribe to Somstack here, and keep an eye on Alex Mill for their new collection! They just launched the Mill Shirt, a linen shirt for both men and women, in a bunch of new colors. I love the Pool Blue one—it reminds me of David Hockney.
x
Ali
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I don't know how exactly to say what I'd like to say about Alex Mill but here's a try: there's just this freshness and very subtle difference between their clothing and images vs. other brands that also make basics. It just always manages to feel very current, but not in a trendy way. Just "this is how you do basics, today, in April of 2025" It's a very considered vibe. I have that jumpsuit too! (in khaki, which I love- but wish I'd gotten green). Lastly, imagining Linda Evangelista at this dinner party makes me happy. What a guest!
Somsack forever! Loved this so much.