7 Custom Apparel Business Success Stories [2024]
Here are some real life success stories of starting a custom apparel business:
1. Stone ($1.2M/year)
Stefan Johnson, co-founder of STONE, came up with the idea for their business while photographing a two-Michelin-star chef using a regular notebook that kept sliding on the kitchen surface. Together with his client Eliot, they brainstormed and came up with the concept for a chefs notebook with unique features, including stone paper, which led to the launch of their successful Kickstarter campaign and the creation of STONE.
How much they make: $1.2M/year
Current team size: 5
Cookbook designers, Stefan Johnson and Eliot Dudik launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2018 hitting its funding target in 24 hours, thus kickstarting the business that has 6 new products, a monthly revenue of around $40,000, and over 45,000 products sold with plans to double its turnover by 2020 by expanding product line and corporate offering.
2. 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 they make: $1.06M/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
Current team size: 2
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.
So... can you actually make money with a custom apparel business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. NG Apparels ($16M/year)
Arpit Aryan Gupta, the founder of NG Apparels, came up with the idea for his garment export business after his father lost a significant amount of money in the 2008 US market crash. Seeing the potential in Ludhiana's clothing manufacturing ecosystem, Gupta decided to establish a clothing manufacturing unit in 2012. With a turnover of 12cr ($1,581,547), NG Apparels has experienced exponential growth and serves clients in the US, UK, Australia, and other countries.
How much they make: $16M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 42
NG Apparels is a garment export unit based in Ludhiana that caters to the clothing segments worldwide, boasting a turnover of $1,581,547 without loans or credit card limits.
4. 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 they make: $5.4K/year
How much did it cost to start: $3.6K
Current team size: 1
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.
So... can you actually make money with a custom apparel business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
