11 Clothing Designing Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Clothing Designing Business

A clothing design business involves conceptualizing stylish clothing and accessory designs, selecting fabrics and materials, assembling prototypes and finished products, and determining production and distribution plans.

To launch a successful clothing line, you need to understand industry trends, choose a profitable niche like sportswear or business formalwear, use digital design tools for easy iterations and adjustments, implement lean manufacturing to control costs and market aggressively on social media and through influencer partnerships.

With keen business acumen and appealing designs, a clothing design business can stand out in a crowded apparel marketplace. Focus on building a clothing brand that resonates with consumers and enables growth year-over-year.

Here are some real life success stories of starting a clothing designing business:

1. Hawthorn ($600K/year)

Rob Williams and Tom Lovelace founded Hawthorn in 2014 after realizing the need for low quantity, fully custom clothing manufacturing for start-up brands. They started by tailoring their own muscle fit tee-shirts and expanded to producing clothing for other brands after facing challenges finding manufacturers in the UK. Through their perseverance, they gained industry experience and contacts, leading them to start Hawthorn as a full-time business.

How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5.5K
Current team size: 0

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How We Started A $50K/Month Business Manufacturing Clothing For Other Brands

This case study follows the journey of Hawthorn, a UK-based custom clothing manufacturer that designs clothes for start-up brands, and offers the lowest minimum order quantity in the industry, producing bespoke orders for as little as 50pcs per design.

About
Rob started Hawthorn about 10 years ago
Revenue
Rob grew the business to $50K/month
Costs
It cost Rob $5500 to start the business
Read by 4,580 founders

2. KAHINDO ($60K/year)

Kahindo Mateene, Founder and Chief Creative Director of KAHINDO, came up with the idea for her luxury sustainable fashion brand after launching a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014. She repurposed fabric scraps into clutches made by women in her hometown of Goma, Congo. Inspired by her Pan-African upbringing and desire to create positive change through fashion, she rebranded in 2017 and now incorporates original prints and African stories into her designs.

How much they make: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $20K
Current team size: 1

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I Started A Luxury Sustainable Womens Fashion Brand

KAHINDO is a sustainable women's luxury fashion brand that celebrates African fashion and promotes ethical work practices, with annual sales of $60k and wholesale clients like Rent The Runway.

About
Kahindo started KAHINDO about 7 years ago
Revenue
Kahindo grew the business to $5K/month
Costs
It cost Kahindo $20000 to start the business
Read by 2,822 founders

So... can you actually make money with a clothing designing business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

3. Everlane ($120M/year)

At just 25 years old, Michael Preysman had a vision to create a direct-to-consumer clothing brand that would not only stand out from the competition, but also have a minimal impact on the environment. His vision became a reality as Everlane's value skyrocketed from $0 to over $100 million in just six years. Learn more about their journey to success on pixelphant.com.

How much they make: $120M/year
Current team size: 333

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How Everlane Grew From $0 to $100M+ In Just 6 Years

In this case study, Michael shares:

  • Idea: Champion transparency showing exactly how much it costs to produce each product
  • Early traction: A referral invite list that went viral and hit 60K subscribers in 5 days
  • Funding: Raised $1.1M in seed funding and earned $50M in revenue that same year
Read by 793 founders

4. Nasty Gal ($55.9M/year)

How much they make: $55.9M/year
Current team size: 217

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How I became an entrepreneur and Girlboss: Sophia Amoruso

Nasty Gal, founded by Sophia Amoruso in 2006, experienced a revenue increase from $250k to $30m; Amoruso published the hashtagged book "#GIRLBOSS" and the TV program "Girlboss" was distributed to 100 million households.

About
They started Nasty Gal over 17 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $4.66M/month
Read by 879 founders

So... can you actually make money with a clothing designing business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

5. TwirlyGirl ($1.09M/year)

How much they make: $1.09M/year
Current team size: 5

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How To Tell Your Brand Story And Sell More With Michael Jamin

TwirlyGirl, a Los Angeles-based children's wear brand, has sold tens of thousands of dresses and is available in over 100 children's boutiques worldwide, while valuing one unique item of clothing over a wardrobe of rarely worn outfits, and goes the extra mile by offering excellent customer service.

About
Michael started TwirlyGirl about 17 years ago
Revenue
Michael grew the business to $91K/month
Read by 713 founders

6. Sleeping Baby ($4.92M/year)

Stephanie and Brett Parker's journey from a $500 website and $200 for materials to building a multi-million dollar baby product line, Sleeping Baby, is a true example of entrepreneurial success. Their best-selling product, the Zipadee-Zip, has gained popularity among new parents, catching the attention of investors on ABC's Shark Tank. This inspiring story showcases their problem-solving skills and passion for parenting.

How much they make: $4.92M/year
How much did it cost to start: $700
Current team size:

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Sleeping Baby Co-Founder Stephanie Parker

Business Insider-style synopsis: Aspiring entrepreneurs can learn from Stephanie and Brett Parker, who turned $700 into a multi-million dollar baby product empire with Sleeping Baby, founded in 2013, thanks to problem-solving skills and their best-selling baby swaddle Zipadee-Zip.

About
They started Sleeping Baby almost 11 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $410K/month
Costs
It cost $700 to start the business
Read by 811 founders

So... can you actually make money with a clothing designing business?

Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.

But how?

  1. Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
  2. Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
  3. Take action, because now you have the roadmap.

Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:

Start Now

7. Tommy John ($22.6M/year)

Erin Fujimoto and Tom Patterson founded Tommy John in 2008, introducing the world's first patented undershirt with a stay-tucked guarantee. Recognizing the opportunity to improve the quality and customer experience in the underwear market, they later expanded their product line to include underwear, socks, casual wear, and activewear. By 2014, Tommy John's revenue had grown fivefold, and the brand has gained recognition in major publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Esquire, GQ, and Golf Digest. Today, their products can be found in over 1000 retail locations across the USA, and they have recently sold their 5 millionth pair of underwear.

How much they make: $22.6M/year
Current team size: 162

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Tommy John founders Tom Patterson and Erin Fujimoto

Tommy John, the vertically integrated consumer brand in the underwear market, has grown to selling over 5 million pairs of underwear across 1000 retail locations with a focus on direct-to-consumer relationships since 2012 that has seen the company's revenue grow five times since 2014.

About
They started Tommy John about 16 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $1.88M/month
Read by 1,089 founders