Elegantees

What Elegantees does

Elegantees is a privately held, for-profit LLC operating a women's apparel brand headquartered in New York City with primary manufacturing in Kathmandu, Nepal, and a secondary production facility in Queens, New York. The company designs, produces, and sells dresses, tops, bottoms, and cardigans/blazers made principally by women who have survived or are at risk of human trafficking in Nepal, supplemented by Queens-based production for fabrics and designs not feasible in Nepal. Order fulfillment is handled from a warehouse in Sherrill, Iowa, with USPS shipping worldwide. The brand emphasizes small-batch production (50-100 pieces per new design), natural fibers, deadstock fabric sourcing, size inclusivity from XS to 3X, and free size swaps for US customers. Products are priced between $49 and $178, with most items in the $54-$84 range.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model powered by Shopify, supplemented by a wholesale program for independent boutiques and a planned loft showroom during NYC Market Week. Additional revenue streams include perpetual e-gift cards ($25-$250 denominations) and tax-deductible donations processed through a fiscal sponsor. Marketing is conducted through owned organic channels: an Instagram and Facebook presence, a Friday founder email newsletter, and a 'Backstage Pass' blog featuring behind-the-scenes storytelling about the mission and production. The five-person core team (founder Katie, designer/merchandiser Wildy, remote pattern-maker Jenna, wholesale coordinator Kelli, and shipping lead Beverly) is supplemented by seasonal PR interns.

The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding rounds, and US-based team salaries are reported to be below market rate, reflecting the mission-driven operating model. There are no documented AI/ML capabilities, no proprietary technology beyond a standard Shopify storefront, and no API or developer platform. Competitive advantages center on the mission narrative, the direct labor relationship with the Nepal sewing center, founder-led content marketing, and a small-batch sustainable production approach.

Name

Elegantees

Legal name

Elegantees

Website

https://elegantees.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Elegantees is a bootstrapped, mission-driven women's apparel brand that designs and sells dresses, tops, bottoms, and cardigans primarily made by trafficking survivors in Nepal, plus select designs produced in Queens, New York. The five-person team sells direct-to-consumer via Shopify, wholesale to independent boutiques, and accepts tax-deductible donations through a fiscal sponsor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethical Women's Apparel

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110), Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458)

SIC

Retail-Women's Clothing Stores (5621), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable/Ethical Shopping & Capsule Wardrobe Building (HSACAJAL)

Keywords

• Ethical women's apparel
• Fair trade clothing
• Direct-to-consumer fashion
• Size inclusive apparel
• Sustainable cotton basics

Headquarters

HQ city

New York City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Apparel Sales: Direct sales of women's clothing including dresses, tops, bottoms, and cardigans made by survivors in Nepal. One-time product purchases through e-commerce storefront.
2. Gift Cards: E-gift cards sold in denominations of $25, $50, $75, $100, $200, and $250. Gift cards never expire and can be used to pay for any order including promotions.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted through a fiscal sponsor, supporting the nonprofit mission to combat human trafficking through job creation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Elegantees designs and sells women's clothing — dresses, tops, bottoms, and cardigans/blazers — manufactured primarily at its sewing center in Nepal by survivors of human trafficking, with select designs produced in Queens, New York. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through a Shopify online store at prices ranging from $49 to $178, complemented by e-gift cards, a wholesale program for boutiques, and a donation channel to support the nonprofit mission.

Product overview

Elegantees is a New York City-based women's clothing brand offering dresses, tops, bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts), and cardigans/blazers. The company operates its own sewing center in Nepal where clothes are made by women survivors of human trafficking and those at risk. Additional offerings include e-gift cards, donation options, and a wholesale program for retailers. The brand emphasizes fair-trade principles, natural fibers (primarily premium cotton jersey), small-batch production (50-100 pieces per new design), and sustainable practices including dead stock fabric sourcing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dresses Women's dresses in midi, smocked waist, fit-and-flare, and rib-knit silhouettes (DARCY, AUBREE, ROMY, RAZELE, MARIBEL, SOL, CALLIOPE, CATHERINE, LAVINIA, SERAPHINA, ADINA, VERONA), priced $64-$84, made primarily in Nepal by survivors of human trafficking.
• Tops Women's tank tops, draped tops, and jersey tops (ADORA, CHARLI, JOLIE, KAILYN, IRINA, PIETRA), priced $54-$66, designed in NYC and produced in Nepal.
• Bottoms Women's pants, shorts, and skirts (FLORENCE gauze pants, MALIKA pants, EVELINE pants, ANDRI pants/shorts, CORINNE skort, ZOYA skirt, AMARA skirt, MADRID shorts), priced $54-$84.
• Cardigans & Blazers Women's layering pieces including cardigans, blazers, jackets, coatigans, hoodies, and dusters (CROSBY blazer, EMORY coatigan, MALLEY cardigan, JUDE cardigan, WAVERLY jacket, RILEY cardigan, CHARLOTTE hoodie, OCTAVIA blazer, EVANA cardigan, LENA duster, STEFFI duster), priced $49-$178.
• AVERIE Heavy Knit Shorts Heavy knit women's shorts launched as a preorder style, made in Nepal, designed to drive additional production work to the Kathmandu sewing center.
• E-Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in $25, $50, $75, $100, $200, and $250 denominations; never expire and can be used as payment for any order including promotional purchases.
• Donations Tax-deductible donations accepted through a fiscal sponsor to support the nonprofit mission of creating dignified employment for survivors and those at risk of human trafficking in Nepal.
• Wholesale Program Wholesale partnership program that allows independent retailers and boutiques to carry Elegantees apparel in their stores, with inquiries submitted through the website and seasonal showroom access during Market Week.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kotn: Direct-to-consumer ethical essentials brand producing cotton basics via supply-chain employment programs in Egypt; very similar model of high-quality basics tied to job creation in a developing region.
• Reformation: Sustainable women's fashion DTC brand focused on dresses, tops, and bottoms made with natural and recycled fibers, marketing sustainability and ethical production - comparable mission-aligned positioning at scale.
• Everlane: Direct-to-consumer ethical basics brand offering women's tees, tops, dresses, and bottoms at similar $50-$150 price points with sustainability/transparency messaging - the most direct competitive analog to Elegantees in ethical DTC apparel.
• ABLE: Ethical women's apparel and accessories brand that employs and empowers women overcoming poverty; comparable mission-driven employment narrative, similar price-point women's apparel assortment.

Broad incumbents

• Patagonia: Iconic sustainable apparel incumbent with strong mission-driven brand storytelling and activism - serves as the broader benchmark for ethical-fashion brand-building at scale even though core product is outdoor, not women's basics.
• Eileen Fisher: Established sustainable women's apparel brand offering organic and natural-fiber basics, knits, and layering pieces - broader portfolio incumbent with overlapping product types and ethical positioning.

Emerging players

• Nisolo: Ethical fashion brand producing shoes and accessories with transparent supply-chain storytelling - comparable mission brand DNA and DTC growth profile, though in a different product category.
• Made Trade: Curated online marketplace for ethical and sustainable fashion, including women's apparel; functions as both an indirect channel and a competitor aggregating similar mission-aligned brands.
• Armedangels: European sustainable fashion brand offering organic and fair-trade women's basics, tees, and knitwear - comparable ethical-fashion positioning and product mix at slightly larger scale.
• Tonlé: Small-batch ethical fashion brand that makes women's apparel from upcycled and natural materials employing artisans in Cambodia; comparable scale and zero-waste/small-batch model to Elegantees.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/elegantees
• Instagraminstagram.com/elegantees
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elegantees

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elegantees