33 Fashion Business Success Stories [2024]
In 2022, the fashion industry was valued at $473.42B, with a growth rate of 8.3% over last year. To become successful in this highly competitive & ever-growing industry, you must have passion, perseverance, and the ability to take risks.
With platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the way that fashion products are marketed online has completely changed, so it’s essential to keep up with these trends.
Here are some real life success stories to help you kickstart your own fashion business:
1. EPIPHANY LA ($480K/year)
Jocelyn Thompson, founder of Epiphany LA, came up with the idea for her business when she was disappointed with the quality and options of padding inserts for swimsuit tops. After ordering several different products online and finding them unsatisfactory, she saw a gap in the market for a properly designed insert that looked natural and provided the desired effect. With a check for $15,000, Thompson was able to start her business and launch her product on Amazon, where it quickly gained traction and success.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 0
Epiphany LA's founder Jocelyn Thompson created a foam push-up padding insert to combat the market saturation of thick, pointy, and ill-sized padding inserts mostly offered in two sizes only, with her product currently patent-pending and earning around $12,000 a month mainly from Amazon USA, where customer reviews and organic SEO proved to be key.
2. Nimble Made ($60K/year)
Tanya Zhang, co-founder of Nimble Made, came up with the idea for their D2C e-commerce menswear brand after observing the struggles of her co-founder Wesley Kang in finding a well-fitting dress shirt for his slim build. They created their own unique, actually-slim sizing based on height and weight and launched the business in late 2018, reaching $40k in revenue in their first year. Their mission is to increase Asian American Pacific Islander representation in fashion by offering slim-fit dress shirts that actually fit off-the-rack.
How much they make: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 0
A year-old D2C menswear brand that sells "actually slim" dress shirts, uses grassroots marketing, SEO, and Facebook/Instagram ads as their top customer acquisition channels with $40k in sales and plans to expand their product selection to pants, accessories, and more.
So... can you actually make money with a fashion 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. Temples and Markets ($72K/year)
Judith Treanor came up with the idea for her business, Temples and Markets, after traveling extensively throughout Southeast Asia and being inspired by the creativity and resilience of the artisans she met. She wanted to expose their unique creations to a broader market and help others overcome "Buyers' Regret" by offering products that could usually only be found on one's travels. Since launching, Judith has used PR, SEO, and email marketing to attract and retain customers, with 85% of her traffic coming from SEO.
How much they make: $72K/year
Current team size: 0
Temples and Markets founder Judith Treanor sources handmade, unique and sustainable artisan products from Southeast Asia for her online store, curating accessories, bags, jewelry and home decor to appeal to conscious consumers aged 30-55 who love to travel, with a 24% returning customer rate and an online conversion rate of .33%.
4. Yoke Apparel Manufacturing ($276K/year)
Jesse James, the founder of Yoke Apparel Manufacturing, came up with the idea after noticing a lack of action among people with strong opinions on social issues. He and his wife decided to make a tangible difference by moving to Vietnam and starting a clothing manufacturing business that directly hires at-risk locals in vulnerable situations. Despite initial challenges, they have achieved automation and stability after just 2 years of operation, and they are now focused on driving growth and revolutionizing the clothing industry.
How much they make: $276K/year
How much did it cost to start: $20K
Current team size: 30
Yoke Apparel Manufacturing is a comprehensive clothing manufacturing service specializing in low minimum order quantities, with an international customer base generating an average monthly revenue of $23,000 and managing to reach a 24% operating profit.
So... can you actually make money with a fashion 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:
5. Cotilda's Fashion Limited ($13.7K/year)
Cotilda Makhumula-Nkhoma, the founder of Cotilda.com, came up with the idea for her African-inspired fashion brand after relocating to the United Kingdom from Malawi. Wanting to blend in with the culture while still embracing her roots, she created Cotilda to encourage people to create their own style and identity through clothing. With the support of Teesside University and her parents, Cotilda was able to turn her business idea into a reality.
How much they make: $13.7K/year
Current team size: 0
Cotilda Makhumula-Nkhoma's online clothing business, COTILDA.COM, was kickstarted by the FUEL program at Teesside University, and has since had features in British Vogue and appeared on ITV News, with trade shows working well as an offline tool to retain customers.
6. Woodies ($2.28M/year)
Cory had previously launched a semi-successful watch brand. Due to his watch business, he traveled a couple of times to China, and after one of the trips, he came back with the idea for wood sunglasses. Wood sunglasses seemed awesome so Cody tried to jump on them early. He was able to sell 8,000 glasses in a week with a launch on Groupon.
How much they make: $2.28M/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 1
Woodies, a wood sunglasses brand founded by Cory Stout, reached over $3.5M in revenue in 2018, despite starting with only $15K from a failed business and has succeeded through Amazon sales, spending $50K monthly on PPC and keeping ACOS at 30%.
So... can you actually make money with a fashion 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:
7. 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
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.
8. Nykaa ($486M/year)
How much they make: $486M/year
Current team size: 1311
Get inspired by the story of Nykaa - India's leading beauty and personal care marketplace with an impressive yearly revenue of $482 million, expanding into fashion and manufacturing its own line of products.
9. Creative Fashion Blog ($120K/year)
Lisa Miller-Mecham, the founder of Creative Fashion Blog, came up with the idea for her business after learning to sew while pregnant with her first child. She started by making a diaper bag from billboard canvas scraps she found while dumpster diving. From there, she built a successful handmade accessories business and eventually transitioned into selling printable sewing patterns, generating over $10k per month.
How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size: 1
Learn how this DIY blogger turned sewing pattern maker generates over $10k per month in passive income, and discover her tips for building an authentic brand on a budget.
10. Height Of Fashion ($300K/year)
Natalie Matthews, the founder of Height-Of-Fashion, came up with the idea for her online clothing store for tall women after experiencing the frustration of not finding fashionable options for her own height (6'3). Through her personal Instagram account, she gained a following of tall women who were interested in purchasing the outfits she showcased, which validated her decision to start the label. Since launching in 2017, Height-Of-Fashion has doubled in profit, products, and customers, shipping to 15 countries.
How much they make: $300K/year
Current team size: 1
Height-Of-Fashion, an online clothing store for women 5'10" and over, saw double profit, products, and customers YoY, with a notable 43% retention rate, as the founder shares how Instagram, PR, and sports influencers are preferable to acquisition channels like Facebook for a niche market.
11. LilKong Brand ($36K/year)
Tramell McInnis, the founder of LilKong Brand, was inspired to start his lifestyle designer fashion brand after growing up in Compton and not having access to high-end designer fashion. Knowing the importance of knowledge and research in the industry, he teamed up with an experienced head designer and built a brand that offers creative and unique clothing options for young to middle-aged individuals with middle to high-class income.
How much they make: $36K/year
Current team size: 0
Tramell McInnis, owner of LilKong Brand, talks about his start-up experience, challenges faced in choosing the perfect manufacturer and launching a premium fashion brand, and his vision of expanding a young lifestyle designer fashion brand appreciated by middle to high-class income customers with 3-year estimated evaluation of $300K.
12. Atlantis Shoes ($300K/year)
Tom Guo, founder of Atlantis Shoes, came up with the idea after working in the shoe manufacturing industry for over 10 years. Focusing on quality over quantity and aiming to reduce global waste, Guo wanted to create ethically-made footwear that would last a lifetime. With monthly revenue at $25,000 and 500 pairs sold each month, Atlantis Shoes embodies the philosophy of slow living and slow fashion.
How much they make: $300K/year
Current team size: 2
Atlantis Shoes founder, Tom Guo, built a successful business selling vegan sneakers, with a monthly revenue of $25,000 and plans for a sustainable, mindful concept store in the future.
13. Creative Souls ($12K/year)
Drew McNamara, the founder of Creative Souls, came up with the idea for his business while in a social entrepreneurship class during his junior year of college. He was inspired by a non-profit that had artists with disabilities selling their artwork on shirts, but noticed that no one was printing their designs onto shoes. This led him to create Creative Souls, a brand that prints designs from individuals with disabilities onto canvas shoes and apparel, providing them with opportunities for success and income.
How much they make: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $45K
Current team size: 0
Creative Souls is a shoe and apparel brand that prints designs created by individuals with disabilities onto their products, paying artists over $1,000 since August 2019, with an average of $1,000 monthly sales, while providing opportunities for people with disabilities to earn money by creating art.
14. Betsy DeVille ($1.2K/year)
Betsy, the founder of Betsy DeVille, came up with the idea for her business after attending a large atheist event and realizing that there were not many symbols or products available for atheists to express their beliefs. With a background in design and a desire to create meaningful and inspiring products, she started designing scarves and bracelets with secular, humanist, and atheist quotes. Her business has since grown, and she now sells a variety of items on platforms like Etsy and Amazon.
How much they make: $1.2K/year
Current team size: 0
Betsy DeVille is an e-commerce business that offers fashion, accessories, home decor, and gifts for a community of secular, rational, and atheist thinkers, which has doubled its income each year and had an estimated $1000 in sales last year.
15. Absolute Fitness Apparel ($7.8K/year)
Anthony Mellor, founder of Absolute Fitness Apparel, was inspired to start his fitness-fashion brand after being influenced by fitness influencer Christian Guzman. With no prior business or fashion experience, Mellor embarked on a trial and error process to build his brand, focusing on quality content and optimizing his website for mobile use. Despite currently operating at a loss, Mellor has plans to expand his team and focus on incorporating innovation, practicality, and value into every garment.
How much they make: $7.8K/year
Current team size: 0
Absolute Fitness Apparel is an online based fitness-fashion brand in the UK that successfully launched 5 lines with 2.11% conversion rate, 1.6k average monthly traffic, and £43.50 average sale by focusing on influencer and affiliate marketing, SEO, Facebook ads, high-quality content, and mobile-optimized ecommerce platform.
16. I Love Ugly ($3.6M/year)
Valentin Ozich, the Founder of I Love Ugly, started the men's premium streetwear brand in 2008 with zero experience in business or fashion. He identified a gap in the market for high quality, affordable streetwear catered to men and sold primarily online. Despite setbacks and his lack of skills at the beginning, Ozich was determined to succeed and turned his idea into a multi-million dollar business.
How much they make: $3.6M/year
Current team size: 20
This case study showcases how Valentin Ozich built an online menswear brand, I Love Ugly, from scratch with a clear vision of creating premium streetwear catered to men that's affordable and sold primarily online, with some products selling upwards of 50,000 units/pieces globally and still remain some of the strongest sellers today.
17. AGood Company ($2.64M/year)
Founder Anders Ankarlid was inspired to start AGood Company after experiencing the cataclysmic environmental effects of the summer of 2018 in Sweden. Realizing the need to address the climate crisis, Ankarlid used his background in entrepreneurship and eCommerce to create a sustainable and social impact startup. AGood Company sells elegant, everyday products made from sustainable materials, with flagship products including mobile cases made from linseed waste and stone paper notebooks made from recycled industrial waste marble. In just over a year, AGood Company has gained a global customer base of 30,000 customers and achieves an average monthly revenue of $220,000.
How much they make: $2.64M/year
Current team size: 12
A sustainable and social impact startup founded in Stockholm, Sweden, Agood Company sells elegant, everyday products in sustainable materials, and has achieved a global customer base of about thirty thousand customers and average monthly revenue of $220,000 in just over a year, with a mission to inspire people to transform from mindless consumerism towards making more conscious decisions.
18. Shobitam Designs ($1.2M/year)
Aparna Thyagarajan and her sister Ambika, both with engineering and technology backgrounds, came up with the idea for their business, Shobitam, during a casual dinner conversation with their parents. They saw a gap in the market for accessible and affordable Indian ethnic fashion, especially for those living outside of India. After launching on Etsy in 2019, they experienced rapid growth and expanded to their own website in early 2020.
How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
Current team size: 18
Shobitam is a digital-first company that democratizes ethnic fashion globally with 40,000+ social media followers, tens of thousands of customers and shipped to over 30 countries, gaining explosive growth of 300% YoY during COVID times, and is currently a $1.2M/year ethnic fashion brand and the top 1 Etsy store.
19. Portland Gear ($1.44M/year)
After building a strong and engaged community on Instagram, Marcus Harvey saw an opportunity to create a brand that resonated with Portland residents. Leveraging his background in garment design and branding, he launched Portland Gear on Black Friday in 2014, aiming to provide quality menswear items and accessories that foster a sense of community in the city.
How much they make: $1.44M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 15
This case study showcases how Portland Gear founder Marcus Harvey leveraged his Instagram community to build a successful retail clothing store offering quality menswear items and accessories.
20. The Modest Man ($48K/year)
Brock McGoff came up with the idea for The Modest Man after struggling to find stylish clothing that fit his smaller frame. By creating thorough and helpful content catered to other "modest men," he was able to grow his audience and monetize his brand through advertising, affiliate programs, and brand partnerships. With almost a million monthly followers and generating $10-15k in revenue per month, The Modest Man has become a successful digital media brand in the men's fashion space.
How much they make: $48K/year
Current team size: 8
Learn how one entrepreneur built a million-person audience across various digital channels while generating $10-15k in monthly revenue through advertising brand partnerships, digital products, and affiliate programs with his digital media brand focused on helping shorter men dress better.
21. Nasty Gal ($55.9M/year)
How much they make: $55.9M/year
Current team size: 217
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.
22. Voonik ($34.2M/year)
Navaneetha Krishnan and Sujayath Ali founded Voonik to revolutionize the fashion shopping experience in India. With over 1 million downloads and a million transactions per month, their app caters to both men and women, offering customized clothing options based on physique, personality, lifestyle, and budget.
How much they make: $34.2M/year
Current team size: 210
Voonik- India's fastest-growing fashion shopping app, offers a personalized shopping experience for women with over 1M downloads, more than a million transactions completed each month and desktop website launched in March 2013.
23. XSuit ($3M/year)
Maximilien Perez, the founder of xSuit, came up with the idea for his business after experiencing the limitations and discomfort of traditional suits. Through extensive market research and sourcing, he developed a suit made from premium stretch fabric that was also liquid-repellant and resistant to stains. After launching on Kickstarter and receiving overwhelming demand, the business quickly took off, reaching sales of over $350,000 in just a few months and expanding to other product lines.
How much they make: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
Current team size: 12
xSuit founder Maximilien Perez launched a modern-day redesign of the classic suit that is comfortable and requires less maintenance, resulting in over 20,000 suits sold to date and $350,000 in sales from July to September 2017 alone, selling online and exclusively kicking off through a successful Kickstarter campaign.
24. Smaragdas Art ($12K/year)
Albina, a designer from Moldova, found inspiration in her passion for art and fashion after moving to Greece. With her daughter as her motivation, she started Smaragdas Art, a slow fashion brand that creates unique, handmade, and sustainable jewelry and home decor items. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Albina's creations gained recognition internationally, appearing in magazines and even being presented at New York Fashion Week. Now, she plans to expand her business by opening an atelier in a tourist area of Athens and creating a new collection of sustainable bags.
How much they make: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 1
This case study follows Albina's journey of creating a slow fashion brand, Smaragdas Art, which sells unique, sustainable, and eco-friendly handmade creations, participating in fashion shows and having products featured in high-end international magazines despite starting at the height of the pandemic.
25. Mon Purse ($24M/year)
How much they make: $24M/year
Current team size: 19
Custom leather bags and fashion accessories business MON generates an impressive $24 million in revenue, thanks to founder Lana Hopkins' unique idea of letting customers design their own handbags.
26. BrownMill Company ($327K/year)
Justis Pitt-Goodson, the founder of streetwear brand BrownMill clothing, dropped out of college to pursue his business full-time. He started by selling bow ties and grew the brand by promoting its online store at pop-up events. The subscription model, offering tiers of bundled clothing, has been successful, and BrownMill aims to reach $2 million in annual revenue and open more storefronts in the future.
How much they make: $327K/year
Current team size: 10
Streetwear brand BrownMill, founded by Justis Pitt-Goodson and two friends, attracted NBA players as customers and posted $327,000 in revenue in 2021 by selling luxury clothes produced from recycled textile materials via its online store and through subscription packages.
27. Rent the Runway ($67M/year)
How much they make: $67M/year
Current team size:
28. Fashivly ($71.2K/year)
Ashlyn, the founder of Fashivly, started her business after attending a conference that sparked her interest in entrepreneurship. She spent months researching and exploring different business opportunities before stumbling upon the idea of offering digital styling services. With no start-up costs, she began fulfilling client requests through social media and eventually launched her website in March 2022, leveraging a branding shoot and a beautifully designed Squarespace template.
How much they make: $71.2K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2.5K
Current team size: 1
Fashivly is an online personal styling service that offers head-to-toe accessorized looks based on body type, lifestyle, budget, and desired style goals and has seen a 475% growth year over year, averaging $5,936 in revenue every month, all from organic social media and word of mouth.
29. Seamm ($150K/year)
Marina Martianova, founder and CEO of Seamm, came up with the idea for her business by combining her passions for fashion and gaming. After founding and growing a successful food-tech startup, Marina saw the opportunity to bridge the gap between the fashion and gaming industries and create a platform that allows users to fully express their identity in virtual worlds. Since launching in December, Seamm has already onboarded six brands and aims to continue innovating in the digital fashion space.
How much they make: $150K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200K
Current team size: 19
Seamm is a U.S.-based startup that bridges the gap between real-world fashion and virtual worlds, creating digital twins of real-world fashion collections for video games and metaverses, with key features including phygital QR codes and a marketplace with purchase and trade functionality.
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- 8,628 business ideas
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- 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
