DSTLD (pronounced distilled) is an American clothing company, founded in 2014 by Corey Epstein, Ryan Jaleh and Mark Lynn and backed by Asher New York Holdings.[1] The California-based company designs and retails a line of mostly denim-based clothing. The company has become known for its relatively affordable pricing, environmentally friendly design and manufacturing,[1][2] a direct-to-consumer retail strategy.[3]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Clothing |
| Predecessor | 20Jeans |
| Founded | 2014 in Los Angeles, California, US |
| Founders |
|
| Website | www |
History
editDSTLD was founded by co-CEOs Corey Epstein, Ryan Jaleh and Mark Lynn.[4] The company was first founded by Epstein as 20Jeans and operated by buying overstock fabric from Los Angeles-based high-end jeans designers to be sent overseas, to places like Hong Kong and Shanghai, turning the fabric waste into low-cost jeans that the company then resold for $20.[1][5] Epstein was joined Lynn and the two rebranded the company as DSTLD in April 2014.[1][4] They hired Anh Vu, formerly of Gap Inc. to head the initial design team.[5] In April 2016, DSTLD hired designer Paul Roughley, previously of Kill City Clothing, as the new design director.[2][6]
The company gained a seed round investment of $4.4 million from investors including CAA Ventures and CrunchFund.[5] In September 2015, the company announced that it will be using the SeedInvest platform to offer its customers the opportunity to directly invest in the start-up.[7][8] The crowdfunding was made possible by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act.[1][9] By the end the month, "DSTLD had received more than $7.6 million in indicated interest."[7] In summer 2016, the company announced a Series A round open to the public. As of August 2016, it had gained funds "from more than 450 people investing an average of $2,400."[1] By April 2017, using SeedInvest, the company had raised $1.75 million.[10] In August 2017, the company reopened the platform for a second round of investment through crowdfunding.[11]
In January 2019, DSTLD announced it was looking to open a UK showroom and list on London's AIM stock market. The company intends to use the funds it raised at the end of 2018 for the expansion- around £1.6 million.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Goodheart, Jessica (2017-07-26). "This Denim Company Thinks Blue Jeans Can Go Green And Still Be Affordable". Fast Company. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ a b Chhabra, Esha (2016-08-03). "The Fabric of Our Lives or the Planet's Latest Threat? Fashion Startups Look Into Cotton Alternatives". Vogue. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ Tsotsis, Alexia (2014-11-10). "DSTLD Is Everlane For Jeans". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ a b Prescod, Danielle (2014-04-07). "Introducing the Premium Denim That Will Only Cost You $65". ELLE. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ a b c Brooke, Eliza (2014-11-26). "Meet DSTLD, the Denim Brand That's Promising Killer Jeans for Under $100". Fashionista. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ Nieder, Alison A. (2016-10-27). "DSTLD: Building the Wardrobe One Premium Piece at a Time". California Apparel News. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ a b Sherman, Lauren (2015-09-28). "Why One LA-Based Denim Brand Is Inviting Fans to Be Investors". Yahoo! Style. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
- ^ Sherman, Lauren (2015-11-26). "Is There Still Hope for Fashion Crowdfunding?". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
- ^ Biron, Bethany (2016-06-27). "How DSTLD is democratizing denim". Glossy. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
- ^ Chhabra, Esha (2017-04-25). "One Year In, Equity Crowdfunding Is Still Waiting For Its Moment". Fast Company. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
- ^ Milnes, Hilary (2017-08-09). "How DSTLD, the first customer-funded fashion brand, tripled revenue in one year". Glossy. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
- ^ Jahshan, Elias (2019-01-04). "DSTLD eyes UK expansion with London listing & showroom - Retail Gazette". Retail Gazette. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2020-06-02.