Juicy Couture

Gela Taylor and Pam Skaist-Levy launched their business from home, starting off with $200. Though friends urged them to formulate a business plan and take out an $80,000 loan, the two women rejected both suggestions. Their first project was producing a line of maternity jeans called Travis Jeans. When the women launched Juicy Couture, they also started with another basic staple - the t-shirt - which they cut to flatteringly fit a women's figure. "We could never find fashionable basics that were girly, flattering and sexy!" expressed Pam and Gela in unison. This natural progression, led the duo to later introduce a line of cashmere sweaters and scarves inspired by the styles and trends of the 80's London punk rock scene and such icons as Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols. Building on this momentum, in Spring 2001, P&G created a new Juicy twist to affordable fashion by designing the Juicy Tracksuit. "Why can't women be comfortable while still feeling sexy and chic?" asks Taylor.