How A SoCal Surfer Became One Of America's Richest Self-Made Women By Selling Sweatpants | Forbes
If there’s anyone who embodies the SoCal spirit, it’s Paige Mycoskie. Blue-eyed and sun-kissed with a mess of wavy blonde hair, the Aviator Nation founder looks like she just stepped off a surfboard. “Being in the water is huge for me-I’m a Pisces,” says Mycoskie, arriving at an Aviator Nation outpost in Austin, Texas, where she also has a home. She might be more than 1,000 miles from the Pacific, but she’s in a half-buttoned Hawaiian shirt, ripped jeans and a pair of dark-tinted Aviator (natch) sunglasses. Nailed to the walls around her are surfboards, waterskis and Jimi Hendrix posters, all things she collects.
But don’t let her laid-back look and breezy talk fool you. The 42-year-old has worked her way from stitching together T-shirts on her Venice Beach kitchen table 16 years ago to running one of the nation’s hottest fashion brands, which is especially popular in TikTok nation. Known for its pricey smiley-face sweatpants ($160) and retro-looking rainbow-striped zip-up hoodies ($190), Aviator Nation took off during the pandemic as homebound teens and twentysomethings swapped designer denim for soft sweats.
The company increased its sales from $70 million in 2020 to $110 million in 2021 and is projecting at least a doubling of that figure by 2023; its gross profit margins are estimated to be over 70%. Aviator Nation, which is still headquartered in Los Angeles, did so well that Mycoskie, who owns 100% of it, paid herself a $47.5 million dividend last year-her first-ever dividend. Forbes estimates she’s worth $350 million (she says the number is at least double that). She just bought her ninth property, a $15 million lakeside house in Austin, adding to a portfolio that includes homes in Malibu and Venice Beach, two Marina del Rey beach pads and an Aspen ski chalet.
Much of her financial success has come from taking no outside investment, instead relying on expanding lines of credit from various banks including Wells Fargo and Citi National-$8,000 in 2006, $35,000 in 2007, $100,000 in 2009-to grow the business early on. “If I was going to take money from someone, I would have to owe someone something, and it would be not in my control. I wouldn’t feel the freedom that I feel to design what I design,” Mycoskie says. “To have the creativity, you can’t have the pressure.”
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Пікірлер: 71
$200 for a hoodie. Yes, very inspirational.
@miadubok8331
Жыл бұрын
Right totally agree I luv her clothes😭💗💗
Love her story. Very inspirational.
Her father was an othopedic surgeon in Texas which according to the washington post article from 1992 national average for surgeons was $236,400.00 which with inflation is more like $528,682.28 in todays money, her mother was an author. Her brother started a dry cleaning business worth 1.2 million in college, sold his stake and they bother came in third place on the amazing race. After that he went on to start a reality tv network with the founder of E! TV and after that he went on to start the TOMS shoe company which she cofounded with him. So the move to California with nothing schtic is pretty disengenious, not saying she did not work hard to start her company but she started on first base...
@easymoney9462
2 жыл бұрын
nice
@Kobs.A
2 жыл бұрын
@@easymoney9462 a family of smart people
@testing6753
2 жыл бұрын
woah her bro is the founder of TOMS?? crazy
@jujuaroha5822
2 жыл бұрын
🤣🤣🤣 there's always one of these types of comments trying to detract from someone else's success. Do you feel better now?
@maryw1778
2 жыл бұрын
It's great that she found success, but to sell a story like she was a broke surfer sewing the inventory is dishonest. She's successful but dishonest?
What a breath of fresh air. Your passion shows through.
she really has that blonde surfer hair
Excellent! I love this so much~beautifully inspiring and I really love these clothes! The style of the brand is perfection! Very very cool surfer girl!!! 💛
Smart, I remember the brand was coming up strong back in 2011-12 glad to see her doing so well
Beautiful, inspirational, amazing energy 💜
Great story! Also helps to have great company like Blake Mycoskie as a brother who built TOMS shoes. Awesome stuff!
Beautiful work, inspiring story and great business approach
I absolutely want to try this brand now! Really love the vibe & I think my boys would love it too. Does the XXL run small though? I can't find any reviews for that size.
Inspiring story!
Great story!!
The clothes really do get radder as you wear and wash them, love all my sweats and bathing suits and sweaters!
Inspiring
I love AV, it’s inspiring! Although the clothes are put together here HERE, the fabric is from Asia and some from Italy. Can we get fabric from America??
Love love love aviator nation. Wish I could work a summer out there 😊
Amazing story
Nice content! Few years back i was assistant to a wealthy pen artist and within the short period i worked with him i observed that he had quite a chunk of investment everywhere, stocks, crypto, dividend investing to name a few, so he had revenues coming in from all angles. And in a year his worth doubled. With this I learned that the rich stay rich by investing.
That vintage angle is killer. Nostalgia is great selling prompt,couple that with the idea of “sentimental” clothes we all have. Smart
@sedled2829
2 жыл бұрын
@TTFPouyiiIll call it whatever I want.
@user.user24tp
Жыл бұрын
@TTFPouyii she did call her clothing ‘ vintage’
So preppy! 🌴🛍🥽
Hey YOU, incredible person reading this...The truth is you are confident and good enough already with who you are, where you are at and what you have right now to have the success you want in life. Don't let others define what “success” is for you. Get up, learn that skill and go after it! I believe in you so much! Have an awesome day! - Love, Nat ❤️
@williamwallace410
2 жыл бұрын
We love you too!
I´ve seen some copyrighted material there... Careful with the lawsuits
this is an INSPIRATION FOR MY NEW BRAND...Raza Sharp Apparel. GREAT JOB PAIGE!!!! AND SHE'S CUTE!!! 🔥❤️🖤😘
Their quilted sweatpants are A the most expensive pair of sweats I own B magnificently comfortable
This stuff is expensive. Just ordered a sweatsuit for the wife for mothers day and it was $350!
It is remarkable, looking at how people dressed in 1900-1950s and then today. They weren’t mostly fat either. Hey, if people will pay $200 for sweat pants and $1500 for a puffy jacket, good on you!
So her brand is based on imitating surf and ski-ware fashion styles from the late 1970s and early 1980s? That lightning bolt is straight from Elvis Presley's (TCB) logo. This just proves that people will buy anything.
@edenassos
2 жыл бұрын
Why you mad because you poor? She saw an opportunity and took it.
@edenassos
2 жыл бұрын
While you're still living with your mom.
@Rudzani
2 жыл бұрын
@Garri R Because a critical observation = mad and poor. There was no denial in the original comment that she saw an opportunity, got lucky and took it. Also, you really thought you did something there with your second reply? Grow up.
@theylied1776
2 жыл бұрын
@@edenassos Is this English?
@edenassos
2 жыл бұрын
@@Rudzani Got lucky? Bottom feeders like yourself love to attribute success to luck. Can't fathom someone making something out of themselves?
"forget about the money" is easy to say in richest country.
@sedled2829
2 жыл бұрын
It’s better to understand it as ; Remember what money is, Value. Remember Value.
@saraeissa4954
2 жыл бұрын
When people get money, the next they want to achieve is power. That’s why people who’ve got money and realized they’ll never be satisfied going after material things anymore STOP at the money stage and tell people to also stop chasing because it gets more and more dangerous when you want more and more and are never satisfied
Nobody wanted to pay $200 for a sweatpants and $200 for a hoodie. Sorry.
@SidewaysInTraffic
2 жыл бұрын
That's been the rate of Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, CK, etc....that have been around for decades.
@chanistheman
2 жыл бұрын
@@SidewaysInTraffic exactly, i would much rather buy from a passionate quality brand than a corporate quality brand.
@Celeste-tx2pm
2 жыл бұрын
@@chanistheman same, but my parents wouldn’t 🥲
@aidenhasani3628
2 жыл бұрын
ask my sister
Dangerous advice.. "do what you love".. will cause many to take imprudent risks.. As a side gig, sure, try things....... I'm an insurance agent. Do I love it? Nooo way.. Does it provide? absolutely. I can name 10 things that I love, but won't pay the bills if I make them into a business. Not everybody is going to hit the jackpot doing what they're "passionate" about.... this "passion" word (which she overused in the clip) is ruining the younger generations...
The upspeak is so cringey
@manajonna
Жыл бұрын
LITERALLYYYYYY
the reason she made 8000 dollars in one day is because each piece costs 200💀💀also she lowkey sounded pick me throughout the whole video she kept going “uNLiKe OtHeR bRaNdS” like girly pop your not that unique
yep, "self made." aka grew up rich and used that to her advantage while twisting her story into "rags to riches."
🩳👙sweatpants! what a great business i love that about Paige Mycoskie.