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22 Successful Clothing Brands & Entrepreneurs To Inspire You

22 Successful Clothing Brands & Entrepreneurs To Inspire You
Start A Clothing Line

There are millions of fashion and clothing brands around the world.

From small, niche brands run out of people's apartments to huge brands like Nike & Uniqlo, starting a clothing brand is a great business that requires minimal costs to get started.

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

1. Sene ($480K/year)

Ray Li (from Los Angeles, California, USA) started Sene over 6 years ago.

Revenue
$40K / month
Team
1 founders / 3 employees
Location
Los Angeles, California, USA

Case Study

My name is Ray Li and I’m the founder of Sene. We combine classic styles with radical comfort, and custom-make each piece to fit. Every order is covered by our 60 Day Guarantee - free alterations, remakes, exchanges and returns.

Our collection for men and women currently spans custom shirts, custom pants and bottoms, custom outerwear, custom suits.

starting-a-custom-tailored-clothing-line

2. Swoveralls ($1.2M/year)

Kyle Bergman (from New York, New York, USA) started Swoveralls over 6 years ago.

Revenue
$100K / month
Team
1 founders / 10 employees
Location
New York, New York, USA

Case Study

Hey there! My name is Kyle Bergman, and I am the Founder and Chief Swoverall Officer of The Great Fantastic. My brand’s mission is to create the world’s comfiest apparel products made from sustainable materials, and ethical manufacturing practices.

Our hero product, Swoveralls, is the combination of sweatpants and overalls into one glorious masterpiece. I sold my first pair about 18 months ago, and have done over $300k to date all while not only having a variety of full and part-time jobs, but also going to business school, and playing lacrosse for the Israeli Men’s National Team.

sweatpants-overalls-how-i-turned-a-silly-idea-into-a-viral-brand

Learn more about starting a clothing line:

Where to start?

-> Clothing line plan
-> How to finance a clothing line?
-> How much does it cost to start a clothing line?
-> Pros and cons of a clothing line
-> How to get clients for a clothing line?

Need inspiration?

-> Examples of established clothing line
-> Marketing ideas for a clothing line
-> Clothing line names

Other resources

-> Profitability of a clothing line
-> Clothing line tips

4. Choast ($60K/year)

Joseph Dilecce (from Richmond Hill) started Choast about 6 years ago.

Revenue
$5K / month
Team
2 founders / 5 employees

Case Study

The backstory to the creation of Choast came from a long time of smoking weed with friends and being around people you can be yourself with. This is a very important aspect to us because being able to be yourself and not have the stress of being judged by your peers or friends really allows that person to be who they truly are.

Choast has become one of the most well known upcoming brands within the Toronto community and also within the cannabis niche suiting stoners all around. Having products ranging from hoodies to stickers, Choast has made an impact on the stereotype surrounding cannabis with the younger generation, creating a new way of thinking around cannabis. Choast is making $5,000 per month.

how-we-started-a-5k-month-clothing-and-smoking-accessories-stoner-friendly-brand

5. Ishihara Design ($12K/year)

Paul (from Osaka) started Ishihara Design over 5 years ago.

Revenue
$1K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees

Case Study

Hi there! My name is Paul, I’m French but am based in Japan. I run a clothing brand called Ishihara Design that I started in early 2018. My main products are tee shirts and sweaters, and I sell to a very specific niche of customers that are really into music/visuals/aesthetics.

As of today, I moved on to other projects and am not at all working on the brand (might change soon though!), however, it is still making around $1,000/month!

how-i-started-a-1k-month-passive-business-with-a-vaporwave-clothing-brand

6. Clever Travel Companion ($600K/year)

Johanna Denize (from Remote, Oregon, USA) started Clever Travel Companion almost 12 years ago.

Revenue
$50K / month
Team
2 founders / 2 employees
Location
Remote, Oregon, USA

Case Study

My name is Johanna and I own and run the Clever Travel Companion together with my husband. We are originally from Sweden. Nowadays, we live an entirely location independent/nomadic or whatchamacallit lifestyle together with our eight year old son. It has taken a number of years to get to this point, but the goal when starting our company was always to be able to live off of an online based business so we would never be tied down to any one place or work location. Starting and being successful with our company has enabled us to live the life we want. That said it was not always easy and it has taken a lot of work to get here.

We started the company in a niche we know well - travel. Having been pickpocketed ourselves on our travels we decided to design products that would prevent other travelers from meeting the same fate or from simply misplacing or dropping their money or passports somewhere off the beaten path. Our products include underwear, t-shirts, leggings, hoodies, dresses and scarves, all with secret, zippered pockets to hide a travelers’ valuables. We have all seen the Amazing Race and how almost every season a team misplaces their passports, and went on to lose the race, right? If they had only had one of our products that would not have happened. After all, no one misplaces the clothing (especially not their underwear) on their body! Our best seller these days is our circle scarf with two secret pockets that hide passports, cell phones, cash and credit cards. No pickpocket can get to the traveler’s valuables when zipped and hidden in any of our travel products with secret zippered pockets.

becoming-digital-nomads-and-growing-to-50k-month-selling-gear-for-travelers

7. Chemo Cozy ($36K/year)

Ellen Hamilton (from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) started Chemo Cozy over 9 years ago.

Revenue
$3K / month
Team
2 founders / 0 employees
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Case Study

Hi! My name is Ellen Hamilton and I’m a Founder and CEO of Chemo Cozy; a company that makes fashionable and functional apparel designed to provide warmth and comfort to patients during infusion treatments.

We now have customers in all 50 states and internationally and have three online stores- our website chemocozy.com, an Etsy shop, and now a store on Amazon.

creating-a-clothing-brand-that-supports-patients-fighting-cancer

8. Local Laundry ($600K/year)

Connor Curran (from Calgary, AB, Canada) started Local Laundry about 7 years ago.

Revenue
$50K / month
Team
2 founders / 4 employees

Case Study

My name is Connor Curran, and I’m one of the co-owners of Local Laundry. We’re Canadian-made garments for social good. We’re determined to make the most socially conscious and most comfortable garments possible. We make garments that make you look good and feel good.

we-started-a-50k-month-canadian-apparel-brand

9. Yoke Apparel Manufacturing ($276K/year)

Jesse James (from Da Nang, Hải Châu District, Da Nang, Vietnam) started Yoke Apparel Manufacturing almost 4 years ago.

Revenue
$23K / month
Team
1 founders / 30 employees

Case Study

Hello everyone, my name is Jesse James and I am the visionary of Yoke Apparel Manufacturing which is located in Vietnam. Yoke is a fully comprehensive clothing manufacturing service specializing in low minimum order quantities.

Covid19 interruptions and restrictions have prevented us from increasing our capacity which has been hard to watch as a business owner. However, we are excited to open up the floodgates as customer demand is strong and we could expect to grow 2-3x sustainably per annum.

we-moved-to-vietnam-and-started-a-276k-year-clothing-manufacturing-business

10. Blvck Paris ($1.2M/year)

Julian O'hayon (from ) started Blvck Paris over 5 years ago.

Revenue
$100K / month
Team
2 founders / 2 employees

Case Study

My name is Julian O’hayon and I am the co-founder of Blvck Paris, a company selling the highest quality and minimalistic, black-themed products to enhance your lifestyle.

From the very start, Blvck Paris grew very quickly. The company was founded towards the end of 2017 and in just two years, we grew a cult following online with over 640,000 followers on our Instagram account @black. We have also exclusively collaborated with renowned brands such as Hugo Boss on premium office accessories in 2018.

how-we-started-a-100k-month-all-black-lifestyle-brand

11. TomboyX ($24M/year)

Fran Dunaway (from Seattle, Washington, USA) started TomboyX about 10 years ago.

Revenue
$2M / month
Team
2 founders / 34 employees
Location
Seattle, Washington, USA

Case Study

My name is Fran Dunaway and I am CEO and Co-Founder of TomboyX. We make underwear, swim, and loungewear that isn’t for everybody but is for anybody.

That’s right, a gender-neutral company that is focused on fit and quality. We are all inclusive so offer every style in sizes XS to 4X. We’ve gone from zero employees 2 years ago to 15 today and have consistently increased our revenue over 100% each year.

creating-a-gender-neutral-garment-and-growing-to-500-000-month

12. Hippy Feet ($1.06M/year)

Michael Mader (from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) started Hippy Feet over 6 years ago.

Revenue
$88K / month
Team
2 founders / 2 employees

Case Study

Hippy Feet is a Minneapolis-based sock and apparel company dedicated to supporting the homeless community. Each product sold allows Hippy Feet to provide transitional employment to young people ages 16-24 who are experiencing homelessness.

how-we-bootstrapped-a-720k-year-sock-and-apparel-company-that-supports-the-homeless-community

13. Blue Skies & Ko ($12K/year)

Katlyn (from Woodstock, GA, USA) started *Blue Skies & Ko * about 4 years ago.

Revenue
$1K / month
Team
1 founders / 1 employees

Case Study

Hey Dreamers! Welcome to the journey! My name is Katlyn and I am the owner of Blue Skies & Ko Boutique. Blue Skies & Ko offers hand-stamped pieces of jewelry, simplistic and trendy pieced jewelry, and now clothing!

Just before I jumped into my dream here with Blue Skies & Ko I was just your average server at a tavern making roughly 25K a year… This leap easily doubled my income within just a few short months.

i-turned-my-crafting-hobby-into-a-profitable-jewelry-clothing-boutique-with-just-2-000

14. Costume Baldor ($120K/year)

Former Macy's employee Natalie Gomez started selling dresses on Poshmark and soon made $10,000 in one month.

Natalie Gomez (from Yonkers, NY, USA) started Costume Baldor over 7 years ago.

Revenue
$10K / month
Team
1 founders / 0 employees

Case Study

Former Macy's employee Natalie Gomez started selling dresses on Poshmark and soon made $10,000 in one month.

  • Natalie Gomez left her job at Macy’s as a merchandise planner and in a few months, started her side hustle as an online retailer on Poshmark.
  • In Feb 2016, she started her journey. She would buy clothing items at cheap rates from local thrift stores and sell them for a higher price at her Poshmark store.
  • Her business soon took flight and she achieved a sale of $10,000 in just one month.
  • This gave her the boost and motivation to continue this as a full-time career.

article

Read the full story on cnbc.com →

15. Everlane ($120M/year)

In this series of eComstories, today let's learn how Everlane was able to grow from $0 to $100M+ in just 6 Years. Read now and get your take aways

Michael Preysman (from San Francisco, California, USA) started *Everlane * over 12 years ago.

Revenue
$9.98M / month
Team
1 founders / 333 employees

Case Study
  • Michael Preysman is the founder of this direct-to-consumer clothing brand named Everlane.
  • Their story began in 2010 when a 25-year-old American thought of creating a brand that would stand out from the competition.
  • Their current mission is to help people put their best fashion foot forward while having minimal effect on the environment.
  • Michael’s vision for success came true when he witnessed his company’s value increase from $0 to $100M+ in just 6 years.

article

Read the full story on pixelphant.com ➜

16. Portland Gear ($1.44M/year)

Marcus Harvey (from Portland, Oregon, USA) started Portland Gear over 8 years ago.

Revenue
$120K / month
Team
1 founders / 15 employees

Case Study
  • Marcus Harvey is the founder & owner of the Portland Gear.

  • He started a page on Instagram by the name of @portland page in 2013 out of his love for Portland. Marcus slowly managed to build a community of Portlanders and thought of leveraging this audience base.

  • He had a background in garment design & branding and decided to launch his brand Portland Gear on Black Friday of 2014.

  • The brand has now been established as a retail clothing store offering quality menswear items & accessories.

  • Marcus wants to create products and experiences that people actually want to use and share in order to foster a sense of community in this amazing city of Portland.

article

Read the full story on upflip.com ➜

17. Voonik ($34.2M/year)

Voonik is a men's & women's fashion eCommerce startup. Read more about Voonik Founders, Funding, Growth, Business Model, Revenue, and Company Profile.

Navaneetha Krishnan and Sujayath Ali (from Bengaluru, Karnataka, India) started Voonik over 10 years ago.

Revenue
$2.85M / month
Team
2 founders / 210 employees

Case Study
  • Voonik was founded by Navaneetha Krishnan and Sujayath Ali to customize the shopping experience for both men and women.
  • This is one of the fastest-growing fashion shopping apps for women in India, where you can purchase clothing that complements your physique, personality, lifestyle, and preferred spending limits.
  • Their app has received over 1M downloads and completes more than a million transactions each month.
  • This brand's first desktop website, Voonik.com, launched in March 2013.

article

Read the full story on startupnewsxp.blogspot.com ➜

18. Chubbies ($44.1M/year)

I’m really happy to have Erich Hellstrom on the show. Erich is a digital marketing strategist for Chubbies, a men’s short shorts brand with a huge cult following.

Erich is in charge of crafting the copy for Chubbies social, email, product and events. And even though Chubbies clothing isn’t reall…

Hency, Ranier Castillo, Preston Rutherford and Tom Montgomery (from Austin, TX, USA) started Chubbies over 12 years ago.

Revenue
$3.68M / month
Team
4 founders / 110 employees

Case Study
  • Founders Tom Montgomery, Preston Rutherford, Hency, and Ranier Castillo started this menswear brand called Chubbies in 2011.
  • They offer various items, including swimsuits, bathing suits, swim shorts, casual wear, and accessories for men.
  • The fact that the brand's founders were skilled at producing and marketing clothing played a crucial part in the brand's success.
  • Since Chubbies was founded, it has grown its net sales from $2.4 million in 2012 to $44.1 million in 2020.

article

Read the full story on medium.com ➜

19. Lunya ($25M/year)

Let's look at the steps Lunya took to build themselves from the ground up and create a wildly successful, customer-centric marketing strategy.

Ashley Merrill (from Santa Monica, California, USA) started Lunya over 10 years ago.

Revenue
$2.08M / month
Team
1 founders / 61 employees

Case Study
  • Ashley Merrill is the dynamic founder and CEO of the upscale sleepwear company named Lunya.
  • The brand offers stylish sleepwear and rest wear for both men & women that spell out comfort in bold letters.
  • In 2012, she started working on her concept for a business based on upscale materials like cashmere and alpaca, never forgetting the comfort and strongly emphasizing body-flattering cuts.
  • Since its official launch, the company has grown YoY by 500%.

article

Listen to the full podcast on storybehindthebrand.libsyn.com ➜

20. PaigeLauren ($7.8M/year)

Paige Lauren (from Los Angeles, CA, USA) started PaigeLauren over 14 years ago.

Revenue
$650K / month
Team
1 founders / 41 employees

Case Study
  • Paige Lauren, a former architectural designer, established PaigeLauren, a luxury baby clothing company, in 2009.
  • PaigeLauren baby clothes are simple, made with incredibly soft & organic fabrics, and have a luxurious look & feel. -The idea came from her quest to find simple & classic baby clothes for her friends.
  • The premium organic baby clothing brand makes clothes for babies & toddlers in Los Angeles and is available in stores across the USA.
  • This brand has made a huge name in the cute & comfy baby clothing market, and its current monthly revenue is around $650,000.
  • They promote their brand on Instagram and have a modest 16K plus followers.

article

Read the full story on entrepreneur.com ➜

21. Sleeping Baby ($4.92M/year)

Stephanie and Brett Parker (from Fort Worth, TX, USA) started Sleeping Baby about 10 years ago.

Revenue
$410K / month
Team
2 founders / employees

Case Study
  • Stephanie, a successful businesswoman & inventor, along with her husband, Brett Parker, founded Sleeping Baby, a baby product line.
  • The couple turned a common parenting issue into a multi-million dollar invention thanks to their keen sense for problem-solving and love of all things parenting.
  • Sleeping Baby was established in 2013 with just $500 for a website and $200 for materials.
  • Their signature product, a baby swaddle line named Zipadee-Zip is their best-seller item and is loved by new parents.
  • Stephanie and her husband Brett even appeared on the well-known ABC reality TV program Shark Tank, asking for $200,000 in exchange for a 10% stake.

article

Read the full story on dfwchild.com ➜

Pat Walls,  Founder of Starter Story
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