Frill Clothing from Shark Tank

Frill Clothing shark tank

Frill Clothing, founded by two sorority sisters, Kate Steadman and Sharon Bui, in 2012, is a clothing company that was specifically created to cater to sororities. They started off by designing and making ‘recruitment’ wear for sorority hopefuls – unified and proper dressing is a key requirement for admission in most sororities.

At first, Frill Clothing only focused on designing basic dresses and accessories to be sold at an affordable price. After finding success in this line of work, the company has since expanded and grown to provide a complete clothing line not directed towards sororities and has also entered the bridal wear market.

All of their business is done online on their website – Frill Clothing. Not only do they pride themselves in making their dresses affordable to all, but they also donate portions of their proceeds to the Make-A-Wish foundation or to a charity of the sorority’s choice!

Frill Clothing’s founders, Kate Steadman and Sharon Bui, both come from a background in fashion. They created the company to empower women by providing them with affordable clothing that inspires confidence in them. Even though they were made to provide unified looks to sororities, they still recognize and provide individuality in their clothing.

The pair of sorority sisters appeared on Shark Tank in Season 6, Episode 21 of the show. They were offering a 20% stake in the business for an investment of $100,000. They first explained the concept of recruitment dresses and matching clothes during sorority rush weeks. They also provided details on how many sororities there are in the US and Canada alone.

Lori Greiner was the first to question them about their margins. They provided details about their margins, provided their past sales figures – over $400,000 over three years, and provided plans about expanding into the bridal wear business. The pair also stated they were competing with only one other company and that they were looking for an investment to cut down on their production costs.

Mark Cuban was the first Shark to say no to the deal. Barbara Corcoran offered a $100,000 investment but wanted a 33% stake in the business, and Kevin O’Leary matched the same offer. Robert joins in and offers the girls exactly what they came looking for, a $100,000 investment for 20% of their business.

There comes a little break during which Robert asks for an answer. Barbara and Kevin pair up on their offer to which the pair asks if they’d lower their stake to 30%. The now paired Sharks agree with the deal – $100,000 for a 30% equity!

Our Review of Frill Clothing

Since the sorority sister’s appearance on Shark Tank, they sold the company, and the business has scaled down the bridal wear division. Their main focus still remains to be Greek sororities and empowering women.

There is a lot on offer on the Frill Clothing website. Their sorority collections are divided into casual and formal wear and are regularly updated. They are also divided into various price points, with their classic collection being the most expensive. They have also added a lot of other products into their lineup. These new products include totes, bags, pouches, necklaces, and bridal wear, even though it has been scaled down.

Frill Clothing has also added resources and planning materials for sororities. These include worksheets and panners that help sororities plan and organize their bid days, rush weeks, and recruitments. Anything to make sorority planning and organization easier, there is a high probability Frill Clothing has it on offer.

All clothing on the Frill Clothing website is made-to-order. Their sorority clothing collections are usually ordered in bulk and, as such, are discounted to be more affordable. They also have graphic tees and bracelets on offer. These bracelets and tees can be customized with sorority monograms and letters to match.

Frill Clothing has also started offering trunk collections. This collection is a try-and-buy kind of collection where sororities can provide Frill Clothing with a theme, color scheme, and a few ideas. Provide them with a date, and they will ship a box full of various items matching the requirements. Sororities can then try out the dresses, buy what they like, and return whatever is left over. Frill Clothing inspects what’s returned and returns all the money back to its customers.

Pros of Frill Clothing

  • Large Collection: Frill Clothing provides a wide range of products. Clothing, accessories like necklaces and bracelets, and, of course, all customizable with sorority monograms.
  • Accurate Clothing Details: The details shown on their website are very accurate. They provide proper sizing details and also provide size and height details of the person modeling the dresses on their website. This makes it very easy to understand how the dress will look and fit.
  • Choice: They offer a lot of choices in how you want your clothes. You can choose various fabrics – even differing fabrics on the front and back of most graphic tees.

Cons of Frill Clothing

  • Delivery Times:As all their clothes are made-to-order, they take at least a few weeks to deliver. These times also vary depending on the number of dresses ordered. Their sorority collections take 2-3 weeks, while their bridal dresses take longer at around 6-8 weeks.

Who is Frill Clothing for?

Frill Clothing is primarily for sororities and sorority girls. They also cater to soon-to-be brides with their bridal wear collections.

Are There Any Alternatives?

Yes, there are multiple companies that design and create sorority clothing. These alternatives include GreekGear, SororityClothing, and GreekHouse. You can also find thousands of alternatives online for their bridal collections.

Our Final Thoughts

Overall, Frill Clothing is an amazing clothing company for sororities. They make it easy for sororities to order in bulk, which also helps make their clothing more affordable when compared to their competition. Sororities can get dresses, tees, necklaces, and bracelets for all their members, custom-made with their monograms and initials, all at a reasonable price through Frill Clothing.