Today we’d like to introduce you to Aubrianna Spencer.
Hi Aubrianna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
How I got started, was when I was in college getting my degree as a communications major, I had the opportunity to pitch a show for my broadcasting class and I wanted my show to be about fashion & styling. This was Fall semester of 2019. I’ve always been intrigued by fashion & clothing, it’s a way that I express myself creatively in a sense. However, I was so tired of walking around and spotting others in the same garment I have. I wanted to feel exclusive. My grandmother is a seamstress, so I thought, hey why not try to make my own clothing since I want my own look and want to stand out in my own unique way. If my granny can do it, I want to do it as well and keep this special craft in the family.
So, I asked for my birthday gift from my step grandparents (my GMA & GPA) for a mini sewing machine for my birthday in November 2019! They bought it for me. The machine was so cute, tiny, and honorable mention it was my favorite color pink! However, I wasn’t sure how to work it. So for Christmas of 2019 I asked my parents for a real sewing machine. And They got it for me, it was a singers beginners sewing machine. For some reason, I was terrified of the machine, it looked so difficult, and honestly I felt I was scared I wouldn’t be able to be as great of a seamstress as my grandmother. So I procrastinated, left the sewing machine in the box for months all the way up til April 2020 when the pandemic first started.
April 2020 is when my life changed. The pandemic just started, I had to move back home early from college because classes were now virtual. That’s when I decided you know what I am going to teach myself how to sew. Yes I could’ve received great guidance from my granny, but a little voice in my head was telling me to try it on my own first. I think this little voice was God, pushing me to try to be independent and , to test me to see if I could stay consistent and learn as much as possible and actually believe in myself.
So I studied garment construction, how to master the sewing machine, and pattern making all through YouTube university (is what I like to call it ) and read numerous books from the public library. I used all the resources I could get so I can learn as much as I can. So I could prove to myself that hey you can do anything you put your mind to as long as you put the work in & believe in yourself. And that was my beginning stages of becoming of a fashion designer.
Now how I got to where I am today? Through trial’s & tribulations. The journey is far from easy, it’s probably the most hardest thing in my life that I’ve ever done. I’ve failed more times than I’ve succeeded. But that’s what’s beautiful about failing, you get a chance to learn from your failures and try again, maybe that next time you are closer to succeeding than you even know. The whole experience as a creative & entrepreneur is a learning one. And trust me, it isn’t an easy learning experience, it’s a test of faith, trust, patience 90% of the time. The other 10% to me is hard work. The journey is mostly a mental battle, you can have talent all day but do you believe you are worthy of succeeding? Trusting that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, having faith that everything will work out exactly how it’s supposed to, and being patient and accepting where you are today, because rushing to get to the destination only causes stagnation in the end. Just enjoy the journey as you go, enjoy those obstacles you never know what possibilities they can bring.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
A smooth road? ABSOLUTELY NOT. As a matter of fact, the road is so bumpy you might hit a pothole & catch a flat trying to get to where you are going. I run into obstacles every single day. The struggle is real when starting up your business. You have to learn so much that is outside your craft! Especially all the business aspects. That part is the trickiest for me. I am a creative. I love doing anything artsy, but when you bring in the business aspect of it, it’s like trying to show me a TV show in black & white, but I’m used to seeing TV shows in vivid colors. How I learned to navigate this obstacle was to connect with the correct resources that can help you understand the business aspect better and break it down to you like you’re a small child. Also, attending entrepreneurial mixers, you can learn so much from people who are already successful in their areas of expertise.
Another obstacle I deal with currently is charging my worth. As creatives, we feel that our prices have to match up with the price of an item that a fast fashion brand has. But in reality that other brands had their stuff manufactured overseas and that’s why their prices tend to be so low. In my field, I create everything from scratch, my pieces are one-of-a-kind, I am a one-man show, I have no help or advanced technology that could make my job duties easier. I have to do everything with my own hands. I have to charge what I feel that my work is worth. It’s a hard thing to do, but when you choose to lower your prices to suit a client, you are cheating yourself & your business. You are subconsciously telling yourself that you believe your work isn’t worth the price you want to charge. Situations like that tend to impact your mental health more than anything. It messes with your confidence and this is something you do not want to do as an up-and-coming entrepreneur!
Which leads me to my last and largest obstacle to this day, and that’s my self-limiting beliefs. At the very beginning stages of my career. I had low confidence, I had the confidence to start, but other than that, I had no confidence to believe in myself. I would think: “I’m not able to do this, I can’t do that, people don’t want to support me.” But that was all an illusion made up of my negative beliefs about myself and how I view myself. Sometimes our minds like to talk us out of greatness because it’s unfamiliar to us. It’s uncomfortable, it’s not what we are conditioned to, it’s scary. Our minds are trying to protect us from getting hurt or failing kinda like parents do when we are growing up as children. But once you gain power & control over your mind, you can do anything. As I said, I am currently still dealing with this obstacle, but one of the ways I’m conquering it is because I’m having a better relationship with myself and my body. I affirm myself and my mind. I tell them that “I trust myself to do what’s best for me,” even if I do fall sometimes. I trust that I will get back up and continue to strive towards my goals. I no longer live in fear of failing, I only live in the joy that I am thriving, that I am getting closer than I even imagined to my goals and purpose! But in all honesty, I love challenges. It makes the reward 10x more worth it, and it helps build character & grit!
Through all the obstacles, I often feel like I tend to go through obstacles alone, but only because I felt like mentally I was doing it alone. But physically, I’m never alone on this journey. My support system has played a big part in overcoming obstacles for me personally. The hardest times are when you need your support system and community the most. You cannot do everything alone, and this year specifically taught me that. My mom, my sisters, my grandmother, Stepdad, my favorite cousin, family and friends have played a big part in this journey for me. Not only do they tell me things I don’t exactly want to hear (which is most likely EVERYTHING I need to hear), they speak so much life into me and my vision. I’m forever grateful for them. They are the reason I go so hard!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a self-taught fashion designer located in Nashville, TN! I specialize in making clothing for all physiques and sizes. I like to think of myself as a jack of all trades. I focus mostly on making custom gowns for special occasions, but I am now leaning more towards the wedding industry when it comes to making custom garments. I also make basic custom garments such as tops, bottoms, jackets, etc. Lastly, I am a seamstress, I do basic and advanced alterations. My main clientele are brides, grooms, & wedding parties, but I do take on basic projects as well! I offer custom monogram embroidery and business branding embroidery on the side. If it has anything for sewing, just know that my hands are in it!
I am proud of my nomination for Fashion Designer of the Year in 2023 for the SEA awards! My proudest moment was quitting my job as a full-time seamstress for a luxury hotel and pursuing my business 100% and getting my own shop set up. It’s my proudest moment because I never thought I would have the guts to actually put everything I have on the line. I didn’t really think about it too hard because I knew if I did I would talk myself out of something I’d been praying to God for years. It’s so funny, when God gives you what you’ve been asking for, sometimes you want to run out of fear of how amazing that thing is. But this time, I ran towards my blessing / opportunity and said thank you to God. I ran to dreams and didn’t look back in the slightest!
The first thing that sets me apart from others is that I like to give back to my community. Every year for the past 3 years, I have done a prom dress giveaway where I offered one high school student a free custom prom gown. Along with the free custom prom gown, I connected with other creatives and asked them could they also give back by giving my winner a free prom hairstyle, makeup look, and nail set! So, ultimately, I give away the full prom experience for free for high school students. I plan on doing this every single year until my hands won’t work anymore. I also make custom hats for the kids at a few non-profits here in Nashville. I really like to give back in any way that I can think of. I feel like God blessed me with a talent, a gift, and I want to use that gift for all the good I can. I want to make the world a better place through my sewing and skills!
Something else that sets me apart is, I would say, the relationships I build with my clientele. I feel like yes, the service is important, but what is more important is how you make a client feel. You want them to feel confident and beautiful. You want them to feel like you care about them and their special moment that they are coming to you for. You want them to feel comfortable enough to tell you that they aren’t liking something in the process. You want to build the connection to make them feel one-of-a-kind, because that’s exactly what they are: one of a kind, uniquely woven!
To end my story, I am grateful to my family for providing me with the tools I needed to be successful in learning my craft. My mom has always made sure me and my sister always tried new activities to see what we liked growing up and always taught us to give back when we can. That plays a big part in my creativity now. It was definitely a sacrifice, but she always made a way for us no matter what. I think that’s where my strength and resilience comes from, watching my mom put her all into us. My brand is actually named after her. My brand’s name is Flossy Angelz. My mom’s name has “Angel” in it, which is so true for someone like her because she is truly an angel walking this earth. She always poured her all into us. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her and her unconditional love.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
No thank you!
Pricing:
- Custom garment basic (shirt, pants, etc) starting at $100+
- Custom garment advanced (gowns, suits, etc) starting at $500+
- Business Branding Embroidery starting: $25 bulk orders start at: $75
- Alterations basic starting at $20+
- Alterations Advanced starting at $60+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://flossyangelz.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flossyangelz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bcw3gVouP/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@designergirlaubri?si=FDkjHJ9Y0SWKPlFp
