Creating a successful brand requires all the business basics, but in many cases there’s also a touch of alchemy — the unexpected but essential element that gives a brand its distinctive character. Sometimes success comes from bucking conventional wisdom, and that’s true of both Gymshark and Good American.
For Good American Customers, Clothing Size is not Destiny
“Some of the best businesses destroy myths,” said Emma Grede, CEO and Co-founder of Good American, which is known for its expansive sizing. For Grede, the myth that needed busting involved the relationship of female apparel shoppers and clothing sizes, she noted during an NRF Big Show 2026 session moderated by Harley Finkelstein of Shopify that also featured Gymshark CEO and Founder Ben Francis.
“No woman makes a decision about what to wear based on their size, but the choices we had [traditionally] been given” didn’t reflect this fact, said Grede, who also is Chief Product Officer and Founding Partner of the shapewear brand Skims. “However, when I started Good American 10 years ago, that made it impossible for fashion brands to not carry those expansive sizes. It came from just an instinct. Then, what really exploded Good American and Skims was when I broadened my own idea of inclusivity — we had focused on the high size range but realized there’s also money in petites.”
Retailers often talk about customers’ loyalty to them, but Grede sees her brands as being “loyal to a group of customers” that had long been seeking diverse sizes and more options. “Women will tell you that you fluctuate in size,” she noted. “We’re centering the customer in everything we do and have this unbelievable trust” built up with shoppers.
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That customer focus is also central to Gymshark’s strategy. For example, “our internal studio looks like a YouTube studio, and what we produce doesn’t look like an advertisement — it feels deeply organic,” said Francis. “We’re trying to produce the kind of content we’d like to consume.”
Gymshark Stays True to its Core
For Gymshark, which also has a fiercely loyal customer base, everything about the brand stems from weightlifting: “The core of Gymshark is lifting — it’s like what yoga pants are to Lululemon,” said Francis. “If we can build the best gym products in the world, and get more people lifting and doing resistance training,” that will support the brand’s growth.
Another ingredient in the Gymshark success formula is being very intentional when it comes to growth. “We’ve gotten feedback [encouraging us] to go into other related areas,” said Francis. “But as we narrowed our focus and became sharp at doing what we’re best in the world at, the business has grown more quickly.
“The risks to us [come from the temptation to] over-expand as well as thinking too short-term,” Francis added. “I have no ambition to start other businesses, and internally we talk about building a 100-year brand, which requires thinking long-term.” He also noted that although Gymshark operates in 130 countries, the U.S., “is our main focus, biggest market and biggest opportunity.”
Resisting the Urge to do Everything
Gymshark generates “around a billion in sales, with the vast majority in ecommerce; we only have seven or eight stores,” said Francis. “It would be easy to open 100 stores, but we want to be really thoughtful in our expansion. I don’t want to open 100 and close 50 of them.”
Nevertheless, Gymshark does see the value in operating brick-and-mortar stores, including a flagship location in NYC’s SoHo that opened in December 2025. “It’s about inspiring more people to go to the gym, and includes doing run clubs and showcasing our best products,” Francis said.
But ultimately, it’s all about not getting distracted from the basic mission: “We’re not over-expanding our channel mix, product line or our stores,” said Francis.
“Resisting the urge to do everything has kept both companies [Good American and Gymshark] in a really healthy and aspirational place for our customer base,” agreed Grede, who is host of the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast. “[Customers] believe in what we’re giving them; for example, we spent three years to make the most perfect T-shirt bra you’ll ever wear.”
