We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Chenevert a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
Risk taking is certainly a topic in which I can relate to as a business owner. The introduction of the “Gleaux Girl Sequin Spirit Jacket” is certainly an impactful story in my entrepreneurial journey I would LOVE to share!
Back in 2019 a big group of us had a dear friends birthday party in New Orleans. After a fun filled celebratory lunch at Galatoires, complete with a Second line and ALL THAT JAZZ, we journey into the French Quarter and all started buying fun accessories such a sunglasses, wigs, hats etc. In the far back corner, I found a jacket with tufts of sequins popping out, black, teal, purple and hot pink! I bought the jacket and all the girls just loved it, a few others bought one too and we were so excited to wear ALL TOGERHER! Upon returning back to Houston I was unpacking my suitcase and said to my husband, “when am ever going to wear this again? That was SO fun! Maybe I can somehow I can make it part of my Halloween costume”. Then a had a lightbulb moment, wait a second….”I wonder if the factory can make an ALL OVER SEQUIN bomber jacket, in TEAM COLORS?” Of course I had to start with my alma mater, LSU PURPLE and GOLD! I figured if there was a team that would “play with me” off the bat it would be LSU FANS. You must know, I had recently moved from New Orleans to Houston and was entrenched in TEXAS sports, UT and A&M were already top sellers among my spirit straps. But I just knew I had to start with LSU fans.
The factory said they could source the material, custom make it to my color specs so I went for it, LET’S DO THIS! At worst I would just be out the money cost for the sample. The sample finally arrived and it was PERFECT, just as I had envisioned! I was so excited and made a video of it, sent pics to my friends in Baton Rouge and New Orleans and said, “would you wear this”? Ok yes, but “WOULD YOU BUY THIS”? I knew I had to meet my MOQ and would be OUT THOUSANDS of dollars if this didn’t work out. My fear, will people think I’m crazy producing ALL OVER SEQUIN jkts in team colors? This had never been done before! You have to remember, this was BEFORE the sequin craze we are currently experiencing! My thought and prayer was, I sure hope they love it and will buy into this!! The jacket is not supposed to be “dressy” by any means, just an exclamation mark on team spirit, an opportunity “tribe up” with friends, show team spirit and make a splash on gameday!! These are especially fun for BIG away rival game!
So the jacket arrived and I SOLD out of them within a WEEK!! I can’t tell you how excited I was, then of course I had to quickly recut the jacket and make Black and Gold for New Orleans Saints colors and bring this over to TEXAS where I lived! After LSU won the National Championship soon after in 2019, I came out with tiger stripe that brushes over to purple and gold tiger stripe. That jacket is just incredible, have recut that now a few times and recently added a flounce sleeve to it to keep things fresh. Since then, I have produced and sold out of Mardi Gras! I’m currently on my 3rd style of Mardi Gras jacket and have recently added a matching top, also a KIDS Mardi Gras jacket, people LOVE a “Mommy & Me” moment. Maroon/silver, burnt orange/silver, blue/silver, black/red, navy/red, gold/silver, crimson/white have all been added to the line up!! Now you see sequins everywhere! The navy/orange color combo for the Houston Astros has been stuck in production due to some factory issues. Since the Houston Astros won the World Series I have a list just waiting for it to arrive!
This was certainly a risk for me, aside from the monetary risk, I was just truly hoping people would “want to PLAY with me” on my new little invention and join in on the FUN! I have to say…it worked, they definitely want to PLAY!!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
As a young girl, I have always LOVED fashion! My mom was actually a self taught seamstress, she enjoyed sewing and making beautiful dresses for my sister Allison and me when we were little girls. As I grew older, I looked forward every day to mom picking me up from school, going to the fabric store, looking at patterns, making my selection for whatever the upcoming event was, selecting the fabric, buttons, zippers and my mom could make the MAGIC happen. She was very good at making the adaptations to the pattern just like I wanted, cut the back out into a deep V, or wide U shape, I would often times use gold buttons too, one of my faves! I loved the fittings and was always amazed at how much progress my mom made in such a short time, couldn’t wait to get home from school and trying on from each stage of production! I grew up combing through all the Seventeen and Vogue magazines. I would pull out pages for inspiration, I still do this to keep in my INSPO file!
My degree is in Fashion Merchandising with a minor in business from LSU. My mom was always worried, “What are you going to do Amy, work at Dillard’s wearing nude panty hose”?! Haha! I knew I was destined for something exciting, but wasn’t exactly sure what it was at the time. I moved to Dallas right upon graduation from LSU. I knew the job I wanted wasn’t going to be in the classifieds! I had faith I would figure things out. I found myself working at Neiman Marcus Northpark at the “Designer Jewelry” counter after working at the Dallas Apparel Mart for a multi line showroom, unpaid to get some experience. I didn’t like being in that cold showroom from 8-6pm with no windows! The opportunity at NM was a pivotal move for me as I knew I could build a foundation there knowing they were a Dallas based company. That’s exactly what ended up happening. I moved over to Ralph Lauren in Highland Park Village, RLwas always a brand I greatly admired and wanted this job so badly and it worked out. After a few years, I went back to Neiman Marcus as assistant Public Relations Manager. This was the job in which I strengthened as a “business woman”. Coming from small town Louisiana, I was certainly shaped as a “professional” in this role. I think I was my bosses’ “project” if you know what I mean, she really wanted to groom me, we called it “Neimanized”! After several years I transitioned from the store side to the vendor side and got my “dream job” as the rep for one of NM’s top contemporary brands, Laundry by Shelli Segal. Honestly, there wasn’t a hotter brand at the time, I was ecstatic! I had 3 divisions encompassing sportswear, day dresses and evening dresses. I facilitated every Neiman Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom,, Macy’s & Dillards for the South West and eventually gained the Mid West after a very close job switch to work with Kate Spade. My boss was my mentor which was very important to me. After I shared what was going on with the new KS opportunity, we worked it out so that I would take my counterparts territory too as she was leaving for a new position. It was so important for me to feel valued! I had this role for close to nine years. I thoroughly enjoyed being out in the field, merchandising and working with all of the stores, managing my territory!
My entrepreneurial leap was about to take place, little did I know. I asked my boss if I could move to New Orleans. I had a calling to get there as a Louisianian after Hurricane Katrina and move after being in Dallas for over a decade. Saks Canal Place was my only local account in the area. At that same time we were being bought out from another company, they had a “re -org” and let my boss go among others. I got a phone call from my counterpart saying the new company needed me to move back to Dallas or Chicago, my other hub. WELL, neither of those was going to work for me, I don’t ever back track in life, only move forward and Chicago was not going to be part of my future, not for this warm weather loving Louisiana girl!
Luckily, I had just had my “lightbulb moment” and already conceptualized my brand in the Superdome at the Saints season opener! Thus was my cue to take the leap and move forward. I had 30 days to get my ducks in a row and officially take the leap! My original concept was to design team color cute/preppy knit tops and dresses. Back in my day, wearing team colors to games was NOT a thing, we got dressed up, Harold’s wrap skirts anyone? So essentially, I wanted to make it cool to wear team colors to game in a fun, fashionable way! I quickly found my factory, perfect that it was based in Dallas, that is a whole serendipitous story of its own, excited to offer products made in the USA!
I originally started by designing knit tops and dresses in the hard to find team color combinations, conceptualized in 2007 and launched Fall 2008! I got up to about 20+ different styles and varied team color combinations selling to retailers spanning from Texas to Florida, the Carolinas and Tennessee! After some time, buying out my “bestie” business partner, and several other life changes I moved to Houston in 2015. I had varied jobs on the side from time to time to offset living expenses, making everything work, it was tough. I decided to take a “break” from the brand as I was offered this new opportunity in Houston. I believe firmly in God’s plan and pray for guidance and direction always. I believed in this decision and knew I was about to go on a ride, sure enough after 2 years of this new job, with an amazing interior designer launching a jewelry brand, it was proven to be unsustainable and she closed up shop. NOW WHAT? I was living in the 4th largest city in the nation with limited contacts!
It was that same year the “CLEAR BAG POLICY” was instated, 2017. I quickly started sourcing clear bags to start selling. I had to quickly start networking etc as I didn’t have the foundation there as I had in New Orleans or Dallas. It worked! I started doing Pop Ups all over Houston. it was going great, but I wasn’t really proud of my products because I wasn’t designing it. On LINKEDIN I found a factory in which I could design my own. When I got my first sample in, I thought, “cute” but it needed something else. So I asked the factory if they could make a “ribbon strap” for it, I was inspired by ribbon belts/club belts I had of my own. At the time, straps weren’t a thing like they are now! So then I realized I had something I was excited about!
Tru Colors Gameday has evolved from team spirit knit tops and dresses made in Texas to now clear bags, spirit straps and sequin spirit jackets. I even made a little pouch (custom sized to be the largest you can bring in that is compliant (4.5″ x 6.5″) with my logo of “abstract pompoms” including all the team colors to include with the clear bag so you could put your ID and cash inside for privacy and have more of a together, polished “LOOK”! Originally the straps were made to be 1.25″ wide with polished chic gold hardware. I now offer 2″ wide straps. The Hadley clear bag, named after my Goddaughter, comes with a nice gold chain strap and the customer can choose their strap and privacy pouch. As of 3 years ago I work with 2 factories in India to create unique beaded strap and privacy pouch designs which are wildly popular!
This past March I changed my name to AMES LAYNE, my nickname for Amy and my middle name in order to branch into NEW classifications. I already had branched out into new product categories outside of Gameday: 3 beach bags, 3 neoprene bags, Mardi Gras jackets and now 2 candles. I didn’t want my name including “gameday” to pigeonhole my brand. I wanted to open it up, I have LOTS of ideas, I’m anxious to bring more excitement to the marketplace!!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Certainly during the pandemic, I believed we all learned about pivoting!
Having a business that is based on attending sporting events & needing a clear bag and it’s accessories certainly changed when no one could attend sporting events and did not even need a clear bag! I decided to design a neoprene bag that was neutral enough to go back with any team color spirit strap So, you may not need the Hadley clear bag for an event but people were still so excited for sports and to show their team spirit! I asked the factory if they could source neoprene fabric for me and tackle this project. I chose a camo color combo that looks cute back to any team color! Then I designed a FUN strap the bag could come with that could also double as a fun travel bag! I sold out of the 1st order pretty fast and had to recut. It’s nice to have the opportunity to do that to make little improvements to make the product more durable! This item is called the Harlie Camo bag, that was such a hit I answered customer requests for a black one, of course that one has a different strap, I named it they Haylie. Then I had to jump onto the “Belt bag” trend and introduced the Harlan! Then I started designing beach bags, I now have 3 fun, colorful designs!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Building Social Media presence is tough. I got a QR code made to go straight to my IG page, I use that at my shows. I love the fact I quickly connect with my customers, so I just ask them to follow along for special offers and incentives. I group up with other “like minded” brands and do giveaways which is always beneficial for all to get more exposure and likes from other auduences. Also, authentically commenting on other brands post to get noticed, sharing others reels you align with is also good. I have realized my stories have way more views than my posts. There is so much to learn about social, it is very overwhelming!
I need to do more “LIVES” to connect. I share more now of my personal life rather than just products, products, products! I feel people buy and connect more when they feel they know more of who you are! More of an authentic side, then they want to buy your product to get a little piece of the action!!
“sparkle + excite +unite!”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ameslayne.com
- Instagram: @ameslayne_
- Facebook: Tru Colors Gameday
- Linkedin: amychenevert and Tru Colors Gameday