HC: Introduce yourself! AB: Hi my name is Ally Breitsameter! I majored in fashion Merchandising and minored in Business and Communications. I recently graduated from WVU in May 2017. I am from Frederick, MD and currently live in New York City.
HC: What is Chic Tees by Ally B? AB: Chic Tees by Ally B is a custom embellished college apparel company! I started Chic Tees about three years ago. Chic Tees started in my college apartment on WIlley St. A few years ago I started noticing that girls were cutting/embellishing/tie-dying and doing all these fun things to men’s shirts to stand out in the crowd on game days! I decided to take my fashion/creative background and start designing and embellishing shirts that were college girl wearable. At first I sold Chic Tees to my friends, friends of friends started reaching out and within weeks I started an Etsy account! Now I have my own website and blog! It’s crazy how much hard work truly pays off.
HC: Where do you find inspiration being a fashion blogger and personal stylist? AB: I always knew I wanted to be in fashion. I love to style, shop, and make people look and feel good! Fashion was made for me and I just decided to peruse it in full force. My parents both have their own businesses, which helped drive me to want to start my own!
HC: What challenges have you faced? AB: Lately time management has been really challenging for me. I just moved to NYC in February and started a full time job in May, leaving me little to no time to work on my blog and Chic Tees. I started setting time aside each week to work on my blog and Chic Tees, it’s really important to me and let’s me be creative in my own way!
HC: What advice do you have for students starting a career in fashion? AB: I moved to NYC without a job, was working on Chic Tees and my blog at the time. I picked up a part-time job but felt I wasn’t learning enough/furthering my fashion career. I decided to start applying to huge name companies like Coach, Steve Madden, Free People, Gucci etc. My advice would be to not get discourage or give up. It is SO easy to get discouraged during your job hunt. I probably had about 70 people tell me I basically wasn’t good enough to work for their company. Take it with a grain of salt, don’t be too hard on yourself, and after being rejected go out and apply to 10 more new jobs! You will find your dream job, it just takes time and perseverance.
HC: What advice do you have for WVU students looking to start their own business? AB: Go to the Evansdale Crossing and meet all of the wonderful professors in the Launch Lab. Tell them your ideas and make some magic happen! They are there to help, guide, and make your dreams come true. It doesn’t matter if you have a huge following or not, be creative, step out of your comfort zone, and just do it! You just need to want it and it will happen!
HC: Anything else you’d like to add?
AB: Reach out if you’re ever in New York city! Follow me on instagram @Chicteesbyallyb and check out my website’s at chicteesbyallyb.com / alexandranoelle.com. Let’s GO Mountaineers!