Fashion Brand Cerise Expands Housecoat Line in Richmond

Founded in 2025, the self-funded fashion line now stocks its reversible, hand-block printed housecoats at a local boutique.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Fashion

Fashion brand Cerise has expanded its footprint in Richmond, stocking its reversible, hand-block printed housecoats at a local boutique. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Co-founders Alyssa Alward and Ashley Steen launched their fashion brand Cerise in December 2025. The brand now features a second batch of 100 reversible housecoats available at Mattie's boutique in Richmond.

Why it matters

The founders created the company to fill a personal need for fun, patterned housecoats suitable for cold environments. Cerise operates as a self-funded venture, managing production through artisans in India while handling shipping internally.

The all-cotton housecoats retail for $295 each and are manufactured using a hand-block printing process in Jaipur. The latest production batch introduces a new petite size option.

The players

Alyssa Alward

She is a co-founder of Cerise who maintains a professional background at the agency Arts & Letters.

Ashley Steen

She is a co-founder of Cerise who is based in Los Angeles.

Mattie's

This is a boutique located in Richmond that serves as a physical retail outlet for the brand.

The details

The brand's products are block-printed in Jaipur and sewn in Delhi before being shipped to the founders. The duo currently manages all customer orders from their own homes, though they have plans to expand into nightshirts, scrunchies, and pajamas.

The founders took their first trip to India together in 2018.
Cerise launched its initial product line in December 2025.
The housecoats became available at Mattie's boutique in fall 2026.
Cerise will sell products at holiday markets during the 2026 season.

Culture Shift

The brand follows the broader shift toward direct-to-consumer artisanal small-batch manufacturing. This model allows small-scale entrepreneurs to bypass traditional wholesale channels by leveraging personal funding and global craft partnerships.

Shoppers in Richmond can now purchase the housecoats directly at Mattie's instead of relying on the brand's home-based shipping model. The addition of a petite size option expands the range of available fits for local customers interested in the $295 garments.

The takeaway

Cerise demonstrates how niche product lines can gain traction through intentional, small-scale production cycles. Consumers interested in similar brands can support local makers by shopping at independent boutiques during the holiday season.