As CEO and designer of her nearly 20-year-old namesake fashion label, Nili Lotan has found success in the luxury fashion industry by going against the grain of fashion industry norms. The brand is reportedly on pace to bring in $100 million in revenue this year. “The motto of my business is that I make everything in the U.S. — that, in itself, means that luxury is built into the seams,” Lotan said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “I’ve been growing the business, and as my business has evolved, I’ve [gone from exclusively focusing on] timeless luxury essentials to being a full lifestyle and multi-category [brand].” The brand launched handbags in 2020. Next, it will roll out menswear, this summer, and additional accessories, in September. Lotan targets “an ageless woman,” calling her brand’s clothing an expression of a nonchalant attitude, which she believes is hard to find in a luxury fashion brand. “But the majority [of my customers] are 40- to 45-years old. And those are all working women who run a busy life the way I do. … I try to give her everything that she needs, and I try to give myself everything I need.”

Batsheva Hay has found success in the fashion industry by simply making what she likes. In 2016, she launched the dress brand Batsheva, which has seen accelerated growth since the start of the pandemic. “I didn't set out to get into fashion at all,” Hay said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. “I was actually a lawyer … and quit my job. And then I got excited to get dressed again in the way that I wanted, which included wearing lots of vintage clothing. I kept on going back to this thrifted Laura Ashley dress that I was just wearing to shreds… I found a pattern maker to remake it, but by that point, I’d changed [the concept] so much that it became a whole other Frankenstein creation. And that was the start, in my head, of wanting to make more.” And thus, Batsheva was born. Luckily for Hay, her original concept proved to be popular during the pandemic. “At first, [everyone] was all about wearing sweatpants, sweatpants, sweatpants,” she said. “But then I started this idea of the house dress, or a printed dress that’s really cozy for home. And that's become a huge chunk of my business.” Batsheva hit a lot of radars when Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris's stepdaughter, wore the brand to the 2021 inauguration. According to Hay, the resulting brand awareness worked wonders to drive sales: “I didn't know that it would be so huge. I got a big sales boost from it that I was not really prepared for.” Since, Batsheva has collaborated with brands including Anna Sui and expanded to new categories including furniture. Next, though she’s never taken in outside investment, Hay is considering fundraising as she works toward becoming this generation’s Laura Ashley. “That's what I’m hoping for,” she said of the goal. “That’s on my vision board.”