Founder: Cami Téllez
Cami came up with the idea for Parade after going to the mall and seeing supermodels blown up on massive storefronts. She found herself asking, "This is what it means to be a woman?" She realized that so much of the underwear category has been led by a top-down approach, with celebrities and models telling consumers how they should look. She felt that underwear was really about self-expression, and not just sexiness, and she wanted to create a bold, dynamic brand that rewrote the underwear story and reflected customers' values. Cami was at Columbia University when she first started Parade, and ended up dropping out to focus on the company full-time. She has raised millions of dollars, been named among Forbes 30 under 30, and has experienced massive growth.
Parade is an underwear brand selling products made of soft, sustainable fabric. The company has inclusive sizing, colorful garments, and themed collections. It also provides content to customers on sex education and sustainability, while donating to various social causes and charities, such as Planned Parenthood and Feeding America.
"My parents are immigrants and they always used to tell me that America is one of the only countries in the world where failure isn't looked down upon. You can't be afraid to fail and you can't lead from a place of fear. You have to be fearless, for your team and for your investors." - Cami
Sources: Business Insider, The Newsette, Parade website