43 Trending Fashion Design Businesses [2024]

Updated: July 24th, 2023
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Interested in case studies of a successful fashion design business? Check out our full list of success stories.

1. Mahiya

Mahiya handtooled leather designed products. Leather purses, Leather Handbags and so much more. WORLDWIDE SHIPPING. Click now to view our full range now.

How much they make: $1.04M/year
Where they're located: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Current team size: 1

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How A Couple Started A $75K/Month Bohemian Leather Accessories Company

Australian-based fashion accessories label Mahiya sees an average of $75,000 in sales each month through its website, showroom, and boutique wholesaler customers, after husband-and-wife team Ryan and Alex Hutchinson invested AUD20,000 ($13,462) and started working from their bedroom in 2013.

Revenue
Alex grew the business to $87K/month
Read by 6,615 founders

2. The Design Cart

The Design Cart is an online supplier of Beads online, Embroidery Material, Buttons, Sequins, Fabric online and Jewelry making material for Fashion Designers. Buy Beading Supplies, Threads, Embroidery Material, Borders and Laces, Stones, Dabka, Zari, Beads, Fabric online for fashion and jewelry design. Buy Cotton,Silk.

How much they make: $1.44M/year
Where they're located: New Delhi, Delhi, India
How much did it cost to start: $25K
Current team size: 25
Website traffic: 60K/month

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How I Started A $80K/Month B2B Sourcing Portal For The Fashion Industry

The founder of The Design Cart, an Indian online B2B sourcing portal for the fashion industry, shares how he turned his weekend gig into an EBITA positive business, servicing over 20,000 unique designers and brands globally and achieving a monthly turnover of over $80k until COVID-19 hit, by relentlessly running behind supply and demand, optimizing his online marketing strategy and keeping costs low for sustainable profits.

About
Apaar started The Design Cart over 6 years ago
Revenue
Apaar grew the business to $120K/month
Costs
It cost Apaar $25000 to start the business
Read by 7,117 founders

Learn more about starting a fashion design business:

Where to start?

-> How much does it cost to start a fashion design business?
-> Pros and cons of a fashion design business

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-> Other fashion design business success stories

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4. Rebecca Minkoff

Shop women's designer handbags, designer clothing, shoes, and accessories from Rebecca Minkoff, featuring on trend styles for every season.

How much they make:
Where they're located: New York, NY, USA
Current team size: 64

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5. Love Is Project

The #loveisproject connects people around the world through a universal message of LOVE. Empower artisan communities through an ethical supply chain. Shop now!

How much they make: $2.4M/year
Where they're located: San Francisco, California, USA
Current team size: 2

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Selling $1.2M Love Bracelets For A Good Cause

Love Is Project generated over $1.2 million in revenue by utilizing a "Pay It Forward" business model, creating 1,200+ jobs for female artisans around the world, and utilizing storytelling to attract and retain customers.

About
Chrissie started Love Is Project over 7 years ago
Revenue
Chrissie grew the business to $200K/month
Read by 8,172 founders

6. Joah Love

Trendy, cool children's apparel. Pre-shrunk, super-soft, high-quality clothing made with love for boys, girls, babies and adults.

How much they make: $468K/year
Where they're located: Los Angeles, California, USA
Current team size: 7

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How I Built A Children's Lifestyle Clothing Brand

Joah Love is a children's lifestyle clothing brand that generates over $40,000 a month through its direct-to-consumer website, and has plans to expand to Europe and Asia, while also prioritizing sustainability and inclusivity for children with special needs.

About
Ahyoung started Joah Love almost 16 years ago
Revenue
Ahyoung grew the business to $39K/month
Read by 11,403 founders

7. Download T-Shirt Designs

Download Latest Trend Cool T-Shirt Designs. Print on your t shirts & fashion products. Free Shirt Designs for DTG Printing.

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8. SexyModest

Sexymodest.com is an online store selling modest and stylish clothing for women. The business serves a niche market of customers looking for fashionable yet modest options. Founded by sisters in 2001, the company has grown to be profitable with a small team of employees. Unique selling point: styling tips for modest fashion.

How much they make: $6M/year
Where they're located: Highland
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 15

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How We Started A $500K/Month Modest Women's Clothing Brand And Closed A Deal With Costco

SexyModest.com is a 7-figure business producing around 250k and selling 150k pieces a year, which began as a side hustle in the founder's basement and designs modest women's clothing available online and in Costco.

About
Brigitte started SexyModest over 15 years ago
Revenue
Brigitte grew the business to $500K/month
Costs
It cost Brigitte $5000 to start the business
Read by 13,474 founders

9. Bryden Apparel

Trusted clothing manufacturer for small to large brands. Create & manufacture your clothing, headwear, labels, tags & packaging designs with low minimums.

How much they make: $888K/year
Where they're located: Singapore, Singapore
Current team size: 3

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How We Started A Clothing Manufacturing Business

Bryden is a clothing manufacturing agency that offers an end-to-end service to fashion brands all over the world, serving customers in over 20 countries and bringing in an average monthly revenue of $74,000 within just a few years of launching.

About
Donovan started Bryden Apparel about 10 years ago
Revenue
Donovan grew the business to $74K/month
Read by 25,917 founders

10. I Love Ugly

New Items. The most recent additions to the I Love Ugly Online Store. New items are added throughout the year and will appear in this section.

How much they make: $3.6M/year
Where they're located: Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Current team size: 20
Website traffic: 70K/month

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How I Started $3.6M New Zealand Fashion Brand I Love Ugly

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.

About
Valentin started I Love Ugly over 15 years ago
Revenue
Valentin grew the business to $300K/month
Read by 19,818 founders

11. Nimble Made

A size inclusive brand, founded by Asian American entrepreneurs, striving for diversity and representation in fashion.

How much they make: $60K/year
Where they're located: Los Angeles, California, USA
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 0

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How We Started A $5K/Month Actually Slim Dress Shirts Brand

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.

About
Tanya started Nimble Made over 5 years ago
Revenue
Tanya grew the business to $5K/month
Costs
It cost Tanya $5000 to start the business
Read by 5,724 founders

12. Nasty Gal

Clothing that brings people comfort, joy, and a sense of being at home in one’s body.

How much they make:
Where they're located: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Current team size: 217

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13. Tini Lux

Our earrings are better than "hypoallergenic." They are the first earrings specially designed for sensitive ears and metal allergies. Tini Lux is the source for high end fashion earrings made from medical grade titanium and niobium.

How much they make: $264K/year
Where they're located: New York, New York, USA
Current team size: 1

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How I Launched A Profitable Earrings Business In One Year

Tini Lux is a profitable e-commerce fashion business that provides a line of fashion earrings specifically for women with metal allergies that has gained a loyal following from its target demographic of women aged 18-45 in 15 months since launching.

About
Jackie started Tini Lux over 6 years ago
Revenue
Jackie grew the business to $22K/month
Read by 19,287 founders

14. Desires by Mikolay

Welcome to Desires by Mikolay a leader in fine and designer jewelry, fashion and gift items, custom design and jewelry repair.

How much they make: $3.44M/year
Where they're located: Chappaqua, New York, USA
Current team size: 7

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Starting and Growing a Jewelry Store as a Married Couple

Desires by Mikolay, a luxury jewelry brand offering a quality selection of custom design and fine jewelry, tripled its brick and mortar since starting in 2005 and now receives orders from all over the US online, after building an authentic brand with passionate owners.

About
Tara started Desires by Mikolay almost 20 years ago
Revenue
Tara grew the business to $287K/month
Read by 4,009 founders

15. Happily Ever Borrowed

How much they make: $60K/year
Where they're located: New York, USA
Current team size: 1

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Starting a Wedding Accessories Rental Business and Growing to $5,000/Month

Luxury e-boutique Happily Ever Borrowed rents bridal accessories to brides for their special day, offering high-end designer accessories for around 80-90% off retail prices.

About
Brittany started Happily Ever Borrowed almost 13 years ago
Revenue
Brittany grew the business to $5K/month
Read by 11,831 founders

16. StartingAClothingLine.com

Startingaclothingline.com offers Digital Fashion Pro - The Best Fashion Design Software. How to design your own clothing, how to start a clothing line

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17. Peopledesign

Where they're located: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

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18. LoveLornLingerie

Explore the darker side of pleasure, pain and everything in between in custom leather harnesses and fetish lingerie handmade in Brooklyn, NY.

How much they make: $62.9K/year
Where they're located: New York, USA
Current team size: 0

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How I Started My Own Lingerie Business Side Hustle

Love Lorn Lingerie started as a side hustle and now generates $1.9k per month in revenue through Etsy and local events, with plans to expand into wholesale and increase marketing efforts to eventually replace the founder's day job.

About
Jessica started LoveLornLingerie over 10 years ago
Revenue
Jessica grew the business to $5.25K/month
Read by 29,163 founders

19. OceanZen

OceanZen Bikini is Australia's leading ethical and sustainable swimwear and bikini label. Our swimwear pieces are made from recycled plastic bottles and fishing nets from the ocean. Shop our latest sustainable and ethical bikini Collection. 100% great for the environment.

How much they make: $300K/year
Where they're located: Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 0

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Starting A Sustainable Swimwear Label As A Solo Founder

OceanZen is a successful sustainable swimwear brand that has manufactured and sold thousands of bikinis worldwide, after being launched by Steph with only $5000 in her final year at university.

About
Steph started OceanZen over 10 years ago
Revenue
Steph grew the business to $25K/month
Costs
It cost Steph $5000 to start the business
Read by 13,538 founders

20. Creative Fashion Blog

A Do It Yourself Fashion And Style Blog

How much they make: $120K/year
Where they're located: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size: 1

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How I Make $10K/Month Selling Printable Sewing Patterns From My Fashion Blog

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.

About
Lisa started Creative Fashion Blog about 6 years ago
Revenue
Lisa grew the business to $10K/month
Costs
It cost Lisa $50 to start the business
Read by 25,930 founders

21. Shobitam Designs

Shobitam is the #1 brand for Indian Ethnic Fashion. Beautiful collections in best prices and 5 Star Service. We work with expert weavers from India to create handwoven and handcrafted sarees and more. Shop the latest collection of traditional and designer sarees online in pocket friendly prices.

How much they make: $1.2M/year
Where they're located: Seattle, WA, USA
How much did it cost to start: $50K
Current team size: 18

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We Bootstrapped A $1.2M/Year Ethnic Fashion Brand [Top 1% Etsy Store]

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.

About
Aparna started Shobitam Designs about 5 years ago
Revenue
Aparna grew the business to $100K/month
Costs
It cost Aparna $50000 to start the business
Read by 3,767 founders

22. zapato FEROZ

Zapatos bebés primeros pasos. Calzado infantil saludable, ligero y flexible 🦶 Las mejores deportivas, botas, bailarinas y sandalias. "Como andar descalzo"

How much they make: $6M/year
Where they're located: Paterna, España
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 6

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How We Created A $65K/Month Healthy Children's Footwear Brand That Sells Almost Everything On Launch Day

Zapato FEROZ is a thriving children's footwear company whose sales have grown exponentially to reach $60,000 per month in the last 12 months, with 80% of sales made directly through their website, due to their dedication to producing the highest quality, healthy shoes for babies and children.

About
Laura started zapato FEROZ over 7 years ago
Revenue
Laura grew the business to $500K/month
Costs
It cost Laura $10000 to start the business
Read by 8,977 founders

23. The Shoe Consultant Ltd

Susannah Davda (The Shoe Consultant) is a UK based Footwear Consultant, supporting start-ups and established shoe brands to succeed in the industry. Find out more about how The Shoe Consultant can help you through one to one consultancy.

How much they make: $48K/year
Where they're located: London, UK
How much did it cost to start: $700
Current team size: 1

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How I Started A $3.5K/Month Business Helping People That Want To Start Shoe Brands

Susannah Davda explains how she started a niche consultancy business helping people start shoe brands, earning $3.5k per month through personalized services and a highly successful online course.

About
Susannah started The Shoe Consultant Ltd about 9 years ago
Revenue
Susannah grew the business to $4K/month
Costs
It cost Susannah $700 to start the business
Read by 8,838 founders

24. Short Steve Button Downs

Breathable, fashionable short sleeve button downs

How much they make: $60K/year
Where they're located: New York, USA
Current team size: 1

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Quitting My Job To Start A Short Sleeve Button Down Brand

Short Steve Button Downs is a New York-based online retailer that specializes in producing high-quality short sleeve button down shirts (SSBDs) out of soft, breathable performance fabric; the company, which launched in May 2019, is currently making about $5,000 per month in revenue.

About
Steve started Short Steve Button Downs over 5 years ago
Revenue
Steve grew the business to $5K/month
Read by 6,852 founders

25. Lazyjack Press

How much they make: $252K/year
Where they're located: New York, New York, USA
Current team size: 0

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I Started A Preppy Clothing Brand That Makes $21K/Month

Lazyjack Press, a luxury men's accessories brand, offers high-quality, Italian silk ties, pocket squares, bow ties, and socks with uniquely named designs and a focus on fun, appealing to audiences of all ages, and is primarily sold through trade shows and pop-up shops.

About
Miriam started Lazyjack Press almost 12 years ago
Revenue
Miriam grew the business to $21K/month
Read by 19,236 founders

26. LilKong Brand

LilKong is proud to provide unique, high-quality, LilKong Premium Streetwear Fashion for men, women, and children. Shop our store now and break away from the norm.

How much they make: $36K/year
Where they're located: Los Angeles, California, USA
Current team size: 0

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On Starting A Premium Lifestyle Apparel Company From Compton

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.

Revenue
Tramell grew the business to $3K/month
Read by 4,681 founders

27. OHZONE

Where they're located: Sunnyvale, CA
How much did it cost to start: $550K
Current team size: 4

28. CODDI

CODDI is a fashion brand that sells single and double zipped boots. It also offers hoodies and hats for men. All their products are durable and made with good quality material.

How much they make: $24K/year
Where they're located: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Current team size: 1

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How I Started A Boot Brand And Raised $61K With No Paid Advertising

CODDI, a boot company based in Chicago, raised just over $61k on Kickstarter and made $2.5k in sales in June, $2k in sales in July, and another $2k in August, all while utilizing free marketing methods like Instagram and Facebook posts to build a community before their website launch.

About
Matthew started CODDI almost 5 years ago
Revenue
Matthew grew the business to $2K/month
Read by 8,781 founders

29. Ishihara Design

Aesthetic Clothing from the Multiverse~ | inspired from Vaporwave, Future Funk and Internet Culture, and Artist friendly ! What more could you want ;)

How much they make: $12K/year
Where they're located: Osaka
How much did it cost to start: $350
Current team size: 0

How I Launched A $1K/Month A Vaporwave Clothing Brand In Just 4 Days

Learn how one founder started a passive income clothing brand that brings in $1,000/month, through focusing on a specific niche market and leveraging relationships with friends, and the importance of efficient financing and focusing on customer engagement to drive sales.

About
Paul started Ishihara Design about 6 years ago
Revenue
Paul grew the business to $1K/month
Costs
It cost Paul $350 to start the business
Read by 7,469 founders

30. Absolute Fitness Apparel

Active wear designed to elevate performance both in the gym, and out. View the wide range of fitness clothing we have to offer.

How much they make: $7.8K/year
Where they're located: London, England, United Kingdom
Current team size: 0

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Starting A Fitness Fashion Brand With A Full-Time Job

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.

About
Anthony started Absolute Fitness Apparel over 7 years ago
Revenue
Anthony grew the business to $650/month
Read by 5,069 founders

31. Cotilda's Fashion Limited

Take a look at our range of dashiki clothing, including men's shirts & dresses, we also provide custom & made to measure clothing, shop online here...

How much they make: $13.7K/year
Where they're located: Middlesbrough, England, United Kingdom
Current team size: 0

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On Starting A African Inspired Urban Fashion Brand Right After Graduating

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.

About
Cotilda started Cotilda's Fashion Limited over 8 years ago
Revenue
Cotilda grew the business to $1.14K/month
Read by 5,305 founders

32. Jamie Clawson

Premium Leather Accessories for iPhone XS, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6, MacBook, iPad and more. Handmade in New York City.

How much they make: $48K/year
Where they're located: New York, USA
Current team size: 1

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Being A Solo Founder and Manufacturing Your Own Products

A designer founded a leather manufacturing business which started as a one-person operation, costs were kept low by making products to order and the most cost-effective way of attracting and retaining new customers was through email and newsletters.

About
Jamie started Jamie Clawson about 13 years ago
Revenue
Jamie grew the business to $4K/month
Read by 4,698 founders

33. Sleeves 2 Go

Sleeves 2 Go is the perfect fashion accessory solution to give you partial coverage of the upper arm area while wearing a sleeveless outfit.

How much they make: $27.6K/year
Where they're located: Florida, USA
Current team size: 1

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How I Created A Removable Sleeves Product For Women

Sleeves 2 Go creates attachable flutter sleeves for women to mix and match beautifully with different types of garments, offering stylish coverage of upper arms of any size or age while simultaneously creating an easy fashion fix-it solution for our everyday wardrobe needs.

About
Susan started Sleeves 2 Go over 12 years ago
Revenue
Susan grew the business to $2.3K/month
Read by 4,805 founders

34. Height Of Fashion

Australia's Hottest Tall Women's Fashion Label. Everyday Style And Glamour Exclusively For Tall Women. Buy Luxe Long Dresses, Long Pants, Jeans And More. Ethically Sourced And Manufactured.

How much they make: $300K/year
Where they're located: Melbourne Victoria, Australia
Current team size: 1

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How I Went From Instagrammer To Starting My Own Fashion Brand

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.

About
Natalie started Height Of Fashion over 6 years ago
Revenue
Natalie grew the business to $25K/month
Read by 9,079 founders

35. Fashion Business Blueprint

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36. DEAL WITH DEVIL

Deal with Devil - Carefully Curated Silhouettes of Modernised Fashion AW19 Available Now.

How much they make: $7.8K/year
Where they're located: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Current team size: 1

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How I Left My Tech Studies To Start A Luxury Streetwear Brand

Australian Lux Streetwear brand, Deal with Devil, was created by Lachlan Sonter as an outlet for his mental state, and has since become a popular brand, with its black long sleeve crewneck being the highest-selling garment.

About
Lachlan started DEAL WITH DEVIL over 6 years ago
Revenue
Lachlan grew the business to $650/month
Read by 11,142 founders

37. Fashion & Design Centre

Where they're located: Ireland

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38. Wade College

Wade College is a private academic institution in Dallas, Texas. We offer dual-major associate and bachelor of arts degrees in merchandising and design.

Where they're located: Wichita, Kansas, United States

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39. Crawford Denim and Vintage Co.

How much they make: $24K/year
Where they're located: Manhattan Beach, California, USA
Current team size: 0

Being A Maker And Launching A Premium Denim Brand

Learn how Susie Shaughnessy created Crawford Denim and Vintage Co, a small-batch denim brand that mixes vintage and modern styles and is made in California from USA goods and deadstock and how she scaled back the business last year and is focusing on incremental growth and working with boutiques and increasing unique denim styles.

About
Susie started Crawford Denim and Vintage Co. over 10 years ago
Revenue
Susie grew the business to $2K/month
Read by 6,747 founders

40. Rachel Allan

Designers at Rachel Allan are fully aware of the sentiments that every girl associates with wearing a designer dress, hence whenever they sit down to design any special occasion dress it is nothing short of a wonder in itself.

Where they're located: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

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41. Frankie Designs

Where they're located: Grand Prairie, Texas, United States

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43. Fashion Design Academy of Ireland

Learn the skills to confidently take on real-life fashion design projects or start your own business. Our flexible study options include home study courses and classroom-based courses which will ensure you get the qualification you want.

Where they're located: Ireland

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