womens-clothing
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VENUS made room for a better fit.
A bodybuilding supplier spotted a problem hiding in the bikini: two halves rarely need the same size. That small insight became the foundation of a women’s fashion business.
Brixton
Brixton is a California-based lifestyle apparel and headwear brand founded in a Oceanside garage in 2004. Named after The Clash song 'The Guns of Brixton,' it started with a single vintage-inspired newsboy cap and grew into a full line of hats, clothing and accessories inspired by heritage workwear - from mariners and aviators to cowboys and laborers. Distributed in more than 30 countries and backed by Altamont Capital Partners, Brixton blends classic silhouettes with modern function and a growing commitment to sustainable materials.
Free People
Free People is a Philadelphia-based bohemian lifestyle brand for women, part of Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN). Rooted in the counterculture store that Dick Hayne opened near Penn's campus in 1970 and relaunched as a wholesale label in 1984, it now sells eclectic, vintage-influenced apparel, accessories, shoes, intimates and beauty across its own boutiques, wholesale accounts and freepeople.com. Its fast-growing activewear spin-off, FP Movement, has made Free People URBN's second-largest brand, with roughly $1.5 billion in annual revenue.
Hello Molly
Hello Molly is an Australian online women's fashion retailer founded in Sydney in 2012 by university graduate Echo Liu. It sells trend-led, affordable dresses, occasionwear, swimwear, tops, bottoms, rompers, shoes and accessories directly to a global, mostly Gen-Z and millennial audience, releasing over 100 new styles a week. Built on data-driven trend-spotting, in-house design and heavy use of social media and influencer marketing, the company grew from a A$50,000 loan into a business exceeding A$100 million in annual revenue, with roughly half of sales coming from the United States.
Honeylove
Honeylove is a Los Angeles-based direct-to-consumer apparel company that designs shapewear, wireless bras, and everyday intimates engineered with targeted compression and supportive panels. Founded in 2018 by former EDM vocalist Betsie Larkin after she couldn't find shapewear that stayed in place on stage, the brand built its reputation on no-roll construction and comfort-first engineering. It has grown from a $300K Kickstarter and a Y Combinator batch into a nine-figure-revenue business serving more than 3 million customers, backed by a $13M Series A led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
J.McLaughlin
J.McLaughlin is a New York-founded American lifestyle apparel brand that has been making classic, colorful clothing and accessories for women and men since 1977. Started by brothers Kevin and Jay McLaughlin, the company pairs timeless preppy design with signature prints and proprietary performance fabrics like Catalina Cloth, and sells through a network of roughly 170-200 neighborhood boutiques across the United States plus a growing direct-to-consumer e-commerce business. Backed by private equity firm Brentwood Associates since 2015, J.McLaughlin is known for stores designed to reflect their local coastal or historic settings and a deep commitment to community events and charitable partnerships.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom is a Seattle-based fashion retailer that began as a single shoe store in 1901 and grew into one of America's best-known department store chains. It sells apparel, shoes, beauty, accessories and home goods across full-line Nordstrom stores, off-price Nordstrom Rack locations, small-format Nordstrom Local service hubs and its digital platforms. Long defined by high-touch customer service and a liberal returns culture, the company returned to family control in May 2025 when the Nordstrom family and Mexican retailer El Puerto de Liverpool took it private in a roughly $6.25 billion deal.
ThredUp
ThredUp is one of the world's largest online resale platforms for secondhand women's and children's apparel, shoes and accessories. Founded in 2009, the Oakland-based company combines automated distribution centers, a managed marketplace, and a 'Resale-as-a-Service' (RaaS) platform that powers branded resale programs for major retailers. It went public on Nasdaq in 2021 under ticker TDUP and frames its mission around extending the life of clothing to reduce fashion's environmental footprint.