Our story
Chapter 1 - Gio and Emily
Our story began as children, worlds apart, yet similar entrepreneurial minds.
Gio grew up in south Texas and started a small business selling brownies and chips to his classmates throughout his school years. He made a decent living for himself while Emily was growing up an ocean away in the Middle East creating her own small beaded jewelry business.
Emily moved to Denton, TX in 2015 to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design at the University of North Texas, where she excelled in her craft, and started working with a couture designer in Dallas.
Gio moved to Denton in 2018 after he graduated with a degree in Finance to start his job with Fidelity Investments, where he was able to earn his Masters in Financial Planning.
Their paths crossed at the Village Church in Denton where Gio began his pursuit to win Emily's heart. After three trying years and a couple unsuccessful attempts, Emily finally fell head over heels for this persistent man. They married in 2022 and moved to Dallas, where Gio taught business to highschoolers and Emily supervised production and developed new products for a company that provided vocational training to refugee women.
Gio started noticing the increasing demand for Emily’s alteration services that she did from her home and had been doing for several years, including creating custom wedding gowns for herself and friends.
Gio did some research on the tailoring and alterations industry and saw an opportunity to bring a fresh spin on this traditional business and train the next generation of tailors. He concluded that alterations were indeed in demand. They decided to formalize her skills with an official business, which was to be run out of their home, as they discovered they were expecting their first child.
The couple moved back to Denton in 2023 to be near family with their little one, Basil, and started to explore the idea of getting a physical location. They found a space in Flower Mound to open their first Ahem Alterations location and are excited to serve their surrounding community.
Chapter 2 - Shera Barela
Shera’s love for sewing started early. At just five years old, she learned how to sew on a button, and soon after, she was making clothes for her dolls and Barbies from scrap fabric. As she grew, so did her skills. She participated in 4-H sewing competitions throughout elementary and junior high, and in high school FCCLA, where she had the honor of advancing to State!
In 2010, Shera left her small town in West Texas and moved to Denton to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design at the University of North Texas. Her passion for sewing and design flourished, but so did her awareness of the injustices in the fashion industry—the unethical labor practices and environmental harm left her questioning her place in the field. She nearly changed her major, unsure how her love for sewing could be used for good. But God had other plans.
During college, Shera was invited by an anti-human trafficking organization to lead a sewing program in Africa, teaching women practical sewing skills to help support their families. Those two months changed everything. She realized that sewing wasn’t just a skill—it was a way to empower, uplift, and create meaningful change. A dream was planted in her heart: to one day have her own design business that could serve others and leave a positive impact.
After graduating, Shera worked for various design companies in Dallas, gaining experience in different aspects of the industry. Yet, none of them felt like home. She eventually transitioned into fashion styling, working with clients across the U.S. for six years. Over and over, she heard the same frustration from women:
"I love the clothes you sent me—I just don’t love them on me. They don’t fit my body right."
This realization reignited Shera’s purpose. Clothing should be made to fit people, not the other way around. In 2023, she made the difficult decision to leave her styling career and venture out on her own to build a custom design and alterations business on the side while also teaching sewing classes at UNT.
Her journey led her to Ahem Alterations, where she found a like-minded team that shared her vision—using expert craftsmanship to serve people, honor the uniqueness of every body, and create a more ethical and sustainable approach to tailoring.
