A seven-figure denim brand founded by a 25-year-old who spent $300 on a sewing machine in high school is now worn by Taylor Swift.

Thrift shopping was Elena Bonvicini's passion, not the creation of a multimillion-dollar denim brand worn by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid, and Kendall Jenner.

During her teenage years, the Southern California native would travel to Wisconsin to visit her grandparents every summer. She would explore thrift stores in the region and sift through the denim assortment, seeking out Levi's to transform into cutoff shorts for herself and her companions.

Initially, Bonvicini's venture was not intended for business purposes. However, she enjoyed creating unique cutoffs and took pride in having items that no one else had. This changed when she was in high school and someone inquired about her shorts.

"Bonvicini, now 25, recounts the time she was stopped by a girl who was two grades below her and asked where she got her shorts. Bonvicini replied that she made them herself, and the girl asked if she could buy a pair and if she could make her a pair too."

Bonvicini, who had never sold clothing before, set the price for her first sale at $30 based on her "guesstimation." As more girls inquired about the pants, Bonvicini recognized that she had a business on her hands.

Soon, Bonvicini was selling hundreds of reworked vintage pants to classmates and other schools in the area. Every Friday, she would set up shop in her gym locker room and sell jeans for $10 each.

"She recalls how she used to lay out all the clothes on the locker room floor and invite the girls to have a try-on party. This was before the advent of online clothing marketplaces like Depop and Poshmark, so they would upcycle and buy clothes from thrift stores to make them fashionable."

Bonvicini made a profit by charging her friends and classmates $10 or $30 for a pair of jeans.

"I bought jeans for 50 cents in the Midwest. In some places, a trash bag filled with anything cost $8. I could fit 20 pairs of jeans into one bag," she says. "There was a significant profit margin there."

She wanted to sew vintage boy's jeans into something she and her teenaged customers could wear, but when shorts were out of season, she asked her mother for a sewing machine. Her mother agreed to buy her a $300 machine on one condition: they would go to Joanne's Fabrics for sewing lessons.

Determined to grow her brand, Bonvicini created an Etsy account on her 18th birthday and used social media to promote EB Denim as the next big thing.

Taking EB Denim to the next level

To increase visibility for her designs, Bonvicini recognized early on that she needed popular individuals wearing them.

"She explains that she wanted to connect with people she admired on Instagram, send them messages, and obtain their email addresses, regardless of whether they posted about it or not, as she only cared about them having her design."

The gifting strategy was successful. The teen founder was surprised to receive responses from influencers and fashion icons such as Chiara Ferragni and Danielle Bernstein, as well as see them wearing her clothing.

"Ferragni is like Italy's Kylie Jenner, she said. She was surprised when Ferragni responded to her direct message (DM). She had emailed every contact she could find and Ferragni's assistant got back to her."

The exposure proved to be an immediate boon to her business.

"She knew she had something when she saw immediate sales from traffic on their website."

Bonvicini worked tirelessly to expand EB Denim at college. She enlisted the help of an assistant to handle shipping orders through her website. On weekends, she would scour the Melrose Trading Post and Rose Bowl Flea Market for hundreds of jeans and cultivate relationships with suppliers.

She expanded her inventory, gifted jeans to celebrities and influencers, and sold to sorority sisters at USC. Her jeans now cost $220, a significant increase from the original $10 price.

"She stated that she would host trunk shows at her sorority house and invite all the girls. She added that she offered a 10% discount to those who posted the event on their Instagram story, which resulted in every girl sharing it on their feed."

Bonvicini bought each pair of jeans for approximately $20 and spent $14 on alterations before washing them in her home washing machine. To meet the high demand, Bonvicini employed seamstresses to customize the jeans according to her specifications. On her most successful day, she sold $12,000 worth of pants in just a few hours.

She hired a PR agency to help her with influencer outreach after her brand gained momentum and she reinvested her profits.

"She states that she did not intend for it to become a money-making machine. Instead, she knew that in order for it to grow into its full potential, she needed to invest everything she had into it."

"I was fortunate to have access to a world of people I couldn't reach, but I'm still unsure why they would respond to a 19-year-old like me," the 25-year-old admits. "I got lucky at the beginning when my firm landed me gigs with Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid, and Bella Hadid."

EB Denim's exposure led to its inclusion in high-end retailers like REVOLVE and Selfridges. By her junior year, she claims that the brand was generating over $1 million in revenue and had a small team of employees and interns. The brand's success was so impressive that she was considering abandoning USC altogether.

"She says she wanted to drop out, but her mom responded with 'Stay in school!'"

She concentrated on her studies and attempted to apply all she learned to her business.

"Whenever we had an entrepreneurship assignment, she would focus on her brand, which helped her think about everything in a more professional and sophisticated manner, ultimately benefiting her in numerous ways."

The Taylor Swift effect

Over the next few years, EB Denim expanded its product line to include dresses, t-shirts, and jackets, remaining a popular choice among influencers and tastemakers.

Everything came to a head after the 2023 Video Music Awards.

Bonvicini team received a notification from Taylor Swift's stylist that she would be wearing one of EB Denim's items, but they were unsure which one and when. Then, while attending a Fashion Week party, Bonvicini's phone began to ring.

"She recalls glancing at her phone at three in the morning and discovering a photo of Taylor Swift exiting a VMAs after-party in the dress she was wearing, which prompted her to exclaim, "Wow, that's amazing!""

"The following morning, I awoke with a hangover and was greeted by numerous Shopify notifications. Despite the high price of the dress, which was around $500, I was left in a state of shock."

EB Denim was featured in numerous articles and roundups about Taylor Swift's style, so the brand had press releases prepared to distribute to media outlets.

Despite its $30 start, EB Denim is projected to generate $3 million in revenue this year. Similarly, despite her achievements, Bovincini sometimes struggles to believe how much she has accomplished.

"She chuckles and admits, "I still don't feel like a businesswoman, despite having imposter syndrome.""

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