Conversations with Ally Fleming

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ally Fleming. 

Hi Ally, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Ally Jacquline Fleming – the founder & designer behind Ally Jacqueline Jacquets where I create statement pieces for your wardrobe and home.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have definitely been challenges along the way! When you start a business doing what you love, at first you think “great – I get to do what I love every day” but you quickly realize there is much more to running a successful business than just the craft you love. 

I have to deal with accounting, customer service, marketing, logistics, and a long list of other tasks I’d rather not be doing. 

I also have a part-time job working as a project manager for the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer.gov website, so work-life balance has been a big challenge as my business continues to grow but the time I have available remains the same. 

Additionally, as I briefly mentioned, I’m expecting a newborn in May 2022 so I’ve also experienced struggles with time management while planning for baby’s arrival + managing pregnancy symptoms all while still needing to meet my client’s deadlines. 

There are often times I want to just give up and I spiral into a breakdown of tears and despair thinking I’ll never be successful. This typically happens after being triggered on social media or around 2 a.m. when I’ve been working all day long – haha. After a good cry, I remind myself of a few things. 1) There are so many people that LOVE what I do and I’ve been able to bring happiness to 400+ clients. Reading their testimonials warms my heart again! 2) My husband reminding me that most small businesses fail within the first 7 years and many don’t make a profit for the first few years either. I’m not a quitter and I’ve been making a profit since I started my business, so I’m already well ahead of many business owners. 3) As my mom always taught me – life’s not fair. So, no matter what is going on, I need to power through and commit myself to this brand. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My best-seller, The Lovestruck, is based on the original design I created for Erica and my specialty is creating custom embellished and hand-painted jackets similar to this one, but I’m known for adding fringe and sparkle on anything I can get my hands on! I love when clients ask me if I’ll create X, Y, or Z for them. The answer is usually YES and it’s so fun to experiment and expand on my art!. Thanks to these out-of-the-box client requests I’ve had the opportunity to create fun pieces like custom hats and embellished journals, plus so much more.

Most of my clients are brides, but I also create wearable art for concerts, birthdays, bands, small businesses, sports fans, and just because! From start to finish, the whole experience is about the client’s unique personality and style. Many of my clients come to me saying they’ve searched all over for something specific and are so happy they were able to finally find me because no one else offers this same level of customization.

It’s hard to pick a favorite creation because each piece truly represents the unique personality of my clients, but some of my favorite pieces are inspired by close friends and family. I painted a custom coat of arms on a denim sherpa jacket for my husband’s two-year “cotton” marriage anniversary gift and one of my more unique offerings, a custom-painted disco ball, was a wedding gift for my best friend. Another favorite is a mixed media piece I created for my close friend (also a Denver local and my virtual doula!) becoming “Mrs. Peace”. It was a hand-painted tropical-themed dream catcher with real crystals and beads hanging off of it.

Erica, who now lives in Lakewood/Denver, continues to inspire my business! Now that we are both past our wedding planning days, we’ve come up with other creative ideas to incorporate wearable art into our lives. I recently created a Kacey Musgraves-themed jacket for Erica to wear during the show at Red Rocks (she got so many compliments when she wore it that she said she felt famous haha) and Erica gifted me a tiny denim jacket during our recent thrifting trip at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall to use as a canvas for the little one I’m expecting in May!

My brand continues to evolve as I’m inspired to craft new custom creations (like bedazzled baby bottles) and find ways to expand my offerings to a wide variety of budgets by making rentals and DIY kits available.

Soon, I’ll be launching a curated collection of thrifted/vintage jackets and other statement pieces!

Pricing:

• Bespoke designs start at $500
• Rentals under $200
• DIY kits starting at $50
• Visit pricing guide for more info: https://www.allyjacqueline.com/pricing-guide

Contact Info:

• Email: madewithlove@allyjacqueline.com
• Website: https://www.allyjacqueline.com/
• Instagram: @allyyjacq
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allyyjacq
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/allyjacq/_shop/

Image Credits
Dallin and Cienna
Callie Riesling Wedding & Elopement Photography
Irina Trofimchuk
Abby Young
Jacie Margeurite
Erica Cassidy
Tyler Norman Photography
Darcy Graf Photo and Haus of Gravity