Clothing And Accessories Business

3 Clothing And Accessories Business Success Stories [2025]

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Updated: April 15th, 2025

Got an eye for fashion and a knack for business? Starting a clothing and accessories business could be your next big move. This idea involves designing and selling your own apparel and fashion accessories, either through a physical store or an online platform.

You'll need to stay up-to-date with fashion trends, source quality materials, and create designs that resonate with your target audience. The real work comes in managing inventory, marketing your brand, and ensuring customer satisfaction.

However, the payoff can be significant. Owning a clothing and accessories business allows you to channel your creativity into a tangible product line and build a brand that speaks to people’s lifestyles. If you’re ready to invest the time and effort, you could create a lasting impact in the fashion world.

In this list, you'll find real-world clothing and accessories business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a clothing and accessories business that makes money.

1. Hippy Feet ($1.06M/year)

While studying at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, the founder of Hippy Feet, Michael Mader, suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him unable to work and provide for himself. Inspired by the support he received from his friends and family during his recovery, he decided to start a business that could act as a support group for individuals experiencing homelessness. This led to the creation of Hippy Feet, a sock and apparel company that provides transitional employment to homeless youth.

How much money it makes: $1.06M/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
How many people on the team: 2

How We Bootstrapped A $720K/Year Sock And Apparel Company That Supports The Homeless Community

Hippy Feet, a Minneapolis-based sock and apparel company, has created jobs for over 160 individuals experiencing homelessness with a 6-month job readiness program and has grown 2020 revenue by 156% over 2019, using sustainable materials and practices while providing sales of custom, branded socks and apparel.

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2. Olori ($180K/year)

Tomide Awe, the founder of Olori, was inspired by her rich Nigerian culture and the beautiful textiles she grew up surrounded by. She wanted to share African craftsmanship and empower women, so she started Olori, a business that creates gorgeous, Africa-inspired handbags. Through incorporating traditional fabrics into modern designs, Olori invites people from all over the world to experience the beauty and culture of Africa while supporting artisans and women-owned businesses in Africa.

How much money it makes: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 1

I Started A $180K/Year Africa-Inspired Handbags Brand

Olori founder Tomide Awe shares how she turned her love for African textiles into a profitable e-commerce business, with a Kickstarter campaign that raised over 112% of their goal, over 2,000 units sold, and a profitable revenue of $180k/year.

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3. Be Kind Apparel ($5.4K/year)

to look. We wanted it to be clean, simple, and user-friendly. We wanted our logo to be prominent and for customers to easily navigate through the different product options. It took us about a week to design and build the website, and we made sure to include high-quality product photos to showcase our clothing.

How much money it makes: $5.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $3.6K
How many people on the team: 1

On Launching An Apparel Brand With A Positive Message

Be Kind Apparel is an ethical and sustainable Irish leisurewear brand that focuses on spreading kindness and supporting mental health, selling tee shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts in a variety of colors and sizes with recycled materials being used in production and 5% of profits donated to local charities, making a profit of 450 euros per month.

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Read by 2,756 founders