8 Fashion Supply Business Success Stories [2024]

Updated: November 19th, 2023
Start A Fashion Supply Business

Here are some real life success stories of starting a fashion supply business:

1. The Design Cart ($1.44M/year)

Apaar, the founder of The Design Cart, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the procurement challenges faced by fashion designers in India. He personally spoke to over 800 designers and identified the need for a tech-enabled solution. After building a website and cataloging thousands of products, he launched the online B2B sourcing portal, which has now serviced over 20,000 designers and achieved a monthly turnover of $80k.

How much they make: $1.44M/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
Current team size: 25

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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 about 6 years ago
Revenue
Apaar grew the business to $120K/month
Costs
It cost Apaar $25000 to start the business
Read by 6,999 founders

2. White2Label Manufacturing ($72K/year)

Anthony Mellor, the founder of White2Label Manufacturing, came up with the idea for his business while running his previous sportswear brand and experiencing the challenges and risks associated with manufacturing overseas. Through market research and feedback from potential customers, he identified a gap in the market for a sportswear manufacturing wholesaler that offers white label and bespoke services, leading him to launch his new venture. Since its launch in November 2018, White2Label Manufacturing has generated £55,000 in stock sales, providing clients with a more accessible and reliable manufacturing solution.

How much they make: $72K/year
Current team size: 1

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How I Started A $6K/Month White Label Sportswear Manufacturing Wholesaler

This case study is about a former fitness apparel founder who established a UK-based bespoke and white-label sportswear manufacturing wholesaler, driving £55,000 in revenue through sales up to November 2019, with 300 organic monthly visitors and 35% gross profit margin.

Revenue
Anthony grew the business to $6K/month
Read by 5,872 founders

So... can you actually make money with a fashion supply 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. 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 2,801 founders

4. Nykaa ($486M/year)

How much they make: $486M/year
Current team size: 1311

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The Story of Nykaa, India’s Best Beauty Retail Platform

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.

About
They started Nykaa about 12 years ago
Revenue
They grew the business to $40.5M/month
Read by 825 founders

So... can you actually make money with a fashion supply 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. Bryden Apparel ($888K/year)

Donovan, the founder of Bryden, had always been intrigued by e-commerce, starting his own t-shirt brand in 2009. After gaining experience in the fashion industry and learning the intricacies of sourcing and manufacturing, he decided to start Bryden in 2015, offering a one-stop service for fashion brands to create and manufacture their products with low minimum order quantities. With an average monthly revenue of $74,000 and customers in over 20 countries, Bryden is helping small to medium-sized fashion businesses compete with larger brands.

How much they make: $888K/year
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 almost 10 years ago
Revenue
Donovan grew the business to $74K/month
Read by 25,532 founders