by Chioma Nnadi

Photographed by Garance Doré 

Having hunted for hand-spun silk scarves in Bombay, mother-of-pearl minaudières in Manila, and ikat in Istanbul, Alisa Ngknows a thing or two about stylish souvenirs. Her newly launched E-commerce site, L-atitude, finds all those chic travel items into one cyber treasure trove, and not a chintzy tourist trinket in sight. “I used to be chained to my desk,” says the former Morgan Stanley executive. “So I want to give women like me the opportunity to shop the globe.” 

 
As well as artisanal keepsakes, L-atitude  throws the spotlight on unsung local heroes, sourcing out independent designers like Chako in Hong Kong, a mother/daughter duo who craft clutch bags from rare kimono fabrics. Ng recruited Garance Doré for her maiden voyage to Turkey earlier this fall, and the French blogger documented their excursion through the boutiques and bazaars of the country’s capital. “We do all the haggling for you,” says Ng, laughing; for the record, the bargain hunter’s rule of thumb is usually a third of the asking price. Doré captured homegrown street-style stars for the site’s blogazine along the way, a sort of inspirational and informational online traveling companion. “So many sites focus on the eating and drinking side of things,” she says. “But getting a comprehensive shopping guide on one site is virtually impossible.” Thankfully, L-atitude  has the fashion lay of the land mapped out for each featured destination, including Milan, Bogotá, and Mumbai. And with trips to Sweden and South Africa in the pipeline, there’s easily 80 more shopping days around the world to add to the calendar, whether you’ve got the air miles to go the distance or not.

shoplatitude.com

1 year ago  |  46 notes

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