apparel-and-fashion
(5)
Alpha Industries, Inc.
Alpha Industries is an American outerwear company that started in 1959 as a U.S. Department of Defense contract manufacturer and turned its government-spec flight jackets into a global fashion label. It produced the MA-1 bomber, the M-65 field coat and the N-3B parka to military specification for decades, then began selling civilian versions in 1970 under a distinct three-bar label. Now in its third generation of family ownership under CEO Michael Cirker, the company sells through wholesale accounts, department stores, licensed sports collections, its own e-commerce site and a small number of physical stores, and it uses a steady stream of designer and streetwear collaborations - Supreme, Vetements, BAPE, Lee, Cecilie Bahnsen among them - to keep a 1963 pattern relevant to buyers who were not born when it was drafted.
CAKES Body
CAKES Body is a Los Angeles-based, women-led direct-to-consumer brand founded by twin sisters Taylor Capuano and Casey Sarai in 2022. It makes reusable silicone nipple covers and bra alternatives from medical-grade silicone that grip to skin using natural body heat instead of adhesive. After a viral organic-content strategy and a December 2023 appearance on ABC's Shark Tank - where it took a $300,000 investment from SKIMS and Good American co-founder Emma Grede - the bootstrapped company scaled to roughly $95 million in net sales in the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Century 21 Stores
Century 21 Stores is a New York City off-price fashion retailer, founded in 1961, known for selling designer and luxury apparel, footwear, handbags and accessories at deep discounts. After filing for bankruptcy and closing all 13 locations in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gindi family reacquired the brand and reopened its Financial District flagship at 22 Cortlandt Street in May 2023. Rebranded 'Century 21 NYC,' the retailer pairs its trademark 'treasure hunt' in-store experience with a growing e-commerce presence, live shopping and a TikTok Shop.
Margaux
Margaux is a New York-based, female-founded footwear brand making handcrafted women's shoes in a family-owned Spanish factory. Co-founded in 2015 by Harvard friends Alexa Buckley and Sarah Pierson, the brand is built around a simple idea most of the industry ignored: women should not have to choose between a shoe that fits and a shoe they love. Margaux offers one of the widest size ranges in the business (roughly US 3-14) across narrow, medium and wide widths, plus a fit concierge - turning sizing into a service rather than a compromise. Its bestseller, The Demi ballet flat, has racked up thousands of glowing reviews and a Vogue following.
Allbirds
Allbirds is a San Francisco footwear and apparel company that built a global brand on wool sneakers and a sustainability-first ethos. Co-founded in 2015 by former pro footballer Tim Brown and biotech engineer Joey Zwillinger, it turned superfine merino wool, eucalyptus tree fiber and sugarcane into low-carbon shoes, became the first fashion brand to print a carbon footprint on its products, and reached a $4 billion valuation at its 2021 IPO. After years of declining sales, store closures and a stock collapse, Allbirds agreed in March 2026 to sell its brand and assets to American Exchange Group for roughly $39 million.