In 2006, Paige Mycoskie walked into one of the most exclusive boutiques in LA, wearing her handmade clothes and hoping to get a meeting with the buyer. And why not? On the street, people seemed to love her boldly striped shirts and sweats, always asking “Where can I get that?” whenever she wore them. Three years later, Paige opened her first store in Venice Beach, and then she relied on word of mouth – and shrewd negotiating tactics with landlords – to launch more new locations. Despite early struggles with managing her team and an onerous trademark battle with Adidas, Paige grew Aviator Nation into a multi-million dollar brand – that still makes all its clothes in California.
This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music by Ramtin Arablouei.