Wian van Blommestein is consumed with his family recipe for a beef jerky alternative known as biltong. But it took him over a decade of enjoying the hobby before he decided to pursue a business around it full-time. Sprinkle in interest-climbing student loans, credit card debt, and an emptied bank account, and you’ve got some of the other, less discussed ingredients that have gone into building his business, Ayoba-Yo.
Meet Riley Kinnane-Petersen. She’s the 10-year-old creative director and co-founder of kids’ jewelry brand Gunner & Lux. Several years into her business, she now has staff helping her make jewelry and fulfill orders for the likes of Barney’s and J.Crew. That leaves Riley with plenty of time to swim and read and to, well, just be a kid.
George Giaouris is the owner of Northbound Leather. While working in his family’s leather business, George saw an opportunity to support queer and kink-friendly customers who had a profound connection with leather, just like he did. Over the last 30 years, George turned the business into the premier destination for bespoke leather fashion and fetish wear.TK EXCERPT
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling in GLOW are back and battling some seriously relatable issues. In addition to a ton of fantastic ’80s fashion, this Netflix series is full of all kinds of inspo on how to be a boss by knocking out your competition and becoming a champion—no matter who (or what) you’re up against.
Whether it’s love or glory or owning a Galapagonian tortoiseshell footbath, everyone’s definition of success is different. And getting there takes a little hard work—especially if you’re starting from scratch in Schitt’s Creek. Here’s how to be a boss (again) according to the Roses.
Yegi Saryan learned from an early age that she’d have to be responsible for her own success. Despite funding and immigration challenges, she put herself through school three times over. And when no one would give her the title she deserved, Yegi gave it to herself. She risked her house to start Yegi Beauty, and today, that business affords her the American dream she always sought.
For years, Jenn Harper battled addiction and was once on the brink of losing everything. Then, she rebuilt her life, focusing her energy on creating Cheekbone Beauty—a sustainable brand that gives back to her Indigenous community. Here, Jenn explains how she overcame alcoholism, generational trauma, and the challenges of starting her business with just $500.
Vivek Jain was living his dream, married and working as a venture capitalist in Bermuda. Then: divorce. At 34, Vivek found himself living with his parents and starting over. Today, he measures success differently—not by his bank balance. But to get there, he had to learn the hard way.
By the time he started college, Colm Dillane had already been printing T-shirts in his parents’ basement. But that “business” would later be the catalyst for KidSuper, a brand that would later catch fire with the cool kids. It would also take Colm and his friends on a calamitous cross-U.S. road trip to ComplexCon, an annual event attended by some of the world’s biggest names in pop culture and streetwear.
For this group of designers, creating an outfit or accessory goes beyond considering its aesthetics—the decisions are about helping individuals express who they are through what they wear. This is how they’ve mined their personal experiences—and identities—to make T-shirts to support the LGBTQ+ community, affordable lace front wigs for drag queens, and environmentally sustainable androgynous clothing options.
Gauri Manglik and Sadaf Siddique struggled to find books featuring accurate representations of South Asian cultures to share with their children. “There’s no market for multicultural books,” U.S. publishers would tell them. Wanting to prove the industry wrong, the duo launched KitaabWorld, an online bookstore selling curated South Asian voices and themes in children’s books.
Raphaëlle Gagnon and Mark Coelho have traveled to dozens of Canada’s most beautiful places over the past few years, harvesting wild plants for botanically infused soaps, salts, lotions, and oils. They run their company, Boreal Folk Apothecary, from anywhere with their mobile “wilderness lab”—a vintage Greyhound bus and trailer.
Wian van Blommestein is consumed with his family recipe for a beef jerky alternative known as biltong. But it took him over a decade of enjoying the hobby before he decided to pursue a business around it full-time. Sprinkle in interest-climbing student loans, credit card debt, and an emptied bank account, and you’ve got some of the other, less discussed ingredients that have gone into building his business, Ayoba-Yo.
Meet Riley Kinnane-Petersen. She’s the 10-year-old creative director and co-founder of kids’ jewelry brand Gunner & Lux. Several years into her business, she now has staff helping her make jewelry and fulfill orders for the likes of Barney’s and J.Crew. That leaves Riley with plenty of time to swim and read and to, well, just be a kid.
George Giaouris is the owner of Northbound Leather. While working in his family’s leather business, George saw an opportunity to support queer and kink-friendly customers who had a profound connection with leather, just like he did. Over the last 30 years, George turned the business into the premier destination for bespoke leather fashion and fetish wear.TK EXCERPT
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling in GLOW are back and battling some seriously relatable issues. In addition to a ton of fantastic ’80s fashion, this Netflix series is full of all kinds of inspo on how to be a boss by knocking out your competition and becoming a champion—no matter who (or what) you’re up against.
Whether it’s love or glory or owning a Galapagonian tortoiseshell footbath, everyone’s definition of success is different. And getting there takes a little hard work—especially if you’re starting from scratch in Schitt’s Creek. Here’s how to be a boss (again) according to the Roses.
Yegi Saryan learned from an early age that she’d have to be responsible for her own success. Despite funding and immigration challenges, she put herself through school three times over. And when no one would give her the title she deserved, Yegi gave it to herself. She risked her house to start Yegi Beauty, and today, that business affords her the American dream she always sought.
For years, Jenn Harper battled addiction and was once on the brink of losing everything. Then, she rebuilt her life, focusing her energy on creating Cheekbone Beauty—a sustainable brand that gives back to her Indigenous community. Here, Jenn explains how she overcame alcoholism, generational trauma, and the challenges of starting her business with just $500.
Vivek Jain was living his dream, married and working as a venture capitalist in Bermuda. Then: divorce. At 34, Vivek found himself living with his parents and starting over. Today, he measures success differently—not by his bank balance. But to get there, he had to learn the hard way.
By the time he started college, Colm Dillane had already been printing T-shirts in his parents’ basement. But that “business” would later be the catalyst for KidSuper, a brand that would later catch fire with the cool kids. It would also take Colm and his friends on a calamitous cross-U.S. road trip to ComplexCon, an annual event attended by some of the world’s biggest names in pop culture and streetwear.
For this group of designers, creating an outfit or accessory goes beyond considering its aesthetics—the decisions are about helping individuals express who they are through what they wear. This is how they’ve mined their personal experiences—and identities—to make T-shirts to support the LGBTQ+ community, affordable lace front wigs for drag queens, and environmentally sustainable androgynous clothing options.
Gauri Manglik and Sadaf Siddique struggled to find books featuring accurate representations of South Asian cultures to share with their children. “There’s no market for multicultural books,” U.S. publishers would tell them. Wanting to prove the industry wrong, the duo launched KitaabWorld, an online bookstore selling curated South Asian voices and themes in children’s books.
Raphaëlle Gagnon and Mark Coelho have traveled to dozens of Canada’s most beautiful places over the past few years, harvesting wild plants for botanically infused soaps, salts, lotions, and oils. They run their company, Boreal Folk Apothecary, from anywhere with their mobile “wilderness lab”—a vintage Greyhound bus and trailer.
Wian van Blommestein is consumed with his family recipe for a beef jerky alternative known as biltong. But it took him over a decade of enjoying the hobby before he decided to pursue a business around it full-time. Sprinkle in interest-climbing student loans, credit card debt, and an emptied bank account, and you’ve got some of the other, less discussed ingredients that have gone into building his business, Ayoba-Yo.
Meet Riley Kinnane-Petersen. She’s the 10-year-old creative director and co-founder of kids’ jewelry brand Gunner & Lux. Several years into her business, 
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling in 
Whether it’s love or glory or owning a Galapagonian tortoiseshell footbath, everyone’s definition of success is different. And getting there takes a little hard work—especially if you’re starting from scratch in Schitt’s Creek. Here’s how to be a boss (again) according to the Roses.
Yegi Saryan learned from an early age that she’d have to be responsible for her own success. Despite funding and immigration challenges, she put herself through school three times over. And when no one would give her the title she deserved, Yegi gave it to herself. She risked her house to start Yegi Beauty, and today, that business affords her the American dream she always sought.
For years, Jenn Harper battled addiction and was once on the brink of losing everything. Then, she rebuilt her life, focusing her energy on creating Cheekbone Beauty—a sustainable brand that gives back to her Indigenous community. Here, Jenn explains how she overcame alcoholism, generational trauma, and the challenges of starting her business with just $500.
Vivek Jain was living his dream, married and working as a venture capitalist in Bermuda. Then: divorce. At 34, Vivek found himself living with his parents and starting over. Today, he measures success differently—not by his bank balance. But to get there, he had to learn the hard way.
For this group of designers, creating an outfit or accessory goes beyond considering its aesthetics—the decisions are about helping individuals express who they are through what they wear. This is how they’ve mined their personal experiences—and identities—to make T-shirts to support the LGBTQ+ community, affordable lace front wigs for drag queens, and environmentally sustainable androgynous clothing options.