“It’s an absolute nightmare shopping for jeans.”
In 2018, Ali Grace, founder and CEO of her namesake brand, was sitting in her dorm room at the University of Massachusetts Amherst when the frustration of finding jeans that fit finally hit a tipping point.
Instead of settling, though, she decided to launch a brand dedicated to giving women the perfect fit (something she’d been yearning for).
“Denim is a timeless product, but it’s also traditionally been very exclusive. When I started, there wasn’t anything like this—nothing that offered inclusivity through custom fit at scale. Brands like Abercrombie and Good American are doing a great job now, but back then there was a real gap,” Grace told SJ Denim. “I wanted to create a one-stop shop where people could get jeans tailored to their exact measurements, something the industry had never done before.”
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For the brand, Grace reworks vintage Levi’s—hand-selected from thrift stores—and tailors them to fit “every body and every size.”
To ensure each pair fits exactly right, customers begin with a short quiz, answering questions about their preferred style, rise and fit (there’s also a section where customers can upload inspiration pictures). After that, they submit their measurements, guided by Ali Grace’s step-by-step measurement guide to make sure everything is accurate.
While orders come with a four to seven week wait time, the process is highly personalized. In fact, someone from the Ali Grace team checks in directly with each customer to confirm details and flag anything that doesn’t look quite right.
“We ask for [each customer’s] Instagram, email and phone number because we want to have multiple ways to reach [them] in case something isn’t adding up,” Grace said. “Since we’re working with vintage denim, we don’t want to make changes that can’t be undone. For example, if you say your inseam is shorter than it really is and you’re 5’10” asking for a 30-inch inseam, we know that’s going to be too short. Once it’s cut, it can’t be made longer. We’d rather preserve the integrity of the denim and get it right the first time. That’s why we ask for all that information…so we can deliver a pair of jeans that feels like it was made just for you.”
Like Grace, who once struggled to find the right fit, her customers are solving the same problem—and the demand is reflected in the sales.
While she initially launched the brand in college, Grace took a short hiatus during the pandemic. A few months later, she decided to relaunch. “I opened the site at midnight, went to bed, and woke up with $60,000 in sales in just 12 hours,” she recalled.
That moment proved to be a turning point.
Today, the brand is on track to generate $1.5 million in sales in 2025, with about 70 percent coming from wholesale—through partners like Revolve, FWRD and Anthropologie, and soon Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman—and 30 percent from direct-to-consumer.
“Waking up to $60,000 in sales was definitely a pivotal moment for me…it showed just how much interest there was in the brand,” Grace said. “This year, while we did fall short of our $1 million wholesale goal…it’s still surreal just to see how far [the brand has grown].”
Now, as Grace continues to scale, she has her sights set on transforming Ali Grace into a lifestyle brand that goes “beyond vintage denim.”
While she plans to stay rooted in jeans, she’s working on a modern line—still under the Ali Grace umbrella—that takes inspiration from vintage but expands into new product categories (which are currently kept under wraps).
Part of that growth includes exploring men’s wear. Rather than diving in headfirst, Grace is testing the waters. For example, she’s been experimenting with styles designed for women that could translate well to men, tracking how they sell before bringing in male fit models to refine silhouettes.
The goal, according to Grace, is to eventually launch a small, curated men’s offering, and over time, develop a modern line that could be fully unisex.
“I know women’s bodies best…that’s what I built the brand on,” she said. “But now, we’re in a position to grow further, learn new categories and figure out how to perfect men’s fit.”
This story was published in SJ Denim’s fall issue. Click here to read more.
