In 1998, Sara Blakely got the idea for Spanx one night when she cut the feet off a pair of pantyhose to wear under a pair of pants. Sara begins to develop her first product and enlists the help of her mother to draw the original product drawing for the Spanx patent. Sara is soon awarded the patent for Footless Body-Shaping Pantyhose, and Spanx is officially launched two years later in 2000.
Before starting Spanx, Sara Blakely graduated from Florida State University, and began work at a local stationery company called Danka. Soon after, she began selling fax machines door-to-door and in 1998 decided to take her life-savings of $5,000 and move to Atlanta, GA. During this time, Sara Blakely became frustrated with her inability to find pantyhose that did not have seamed toes and did not roll up her leg if she cut them.
Upon arriving in Atlanta, GA and designing her initial idea, Sara Blakely tried to reach production deals with local manufacturers in the area. She would eventually convince a mill in Charlotte, North Carolina to fulfill her order for 3,000 pairs of footless pantyhose. The mills co-owner, Sam Kaplan, was at first skeptical and had to be convinced by his 2 daughters that footless pantyhose would be desired.
After securing a manufacturer, Sara Blakely approached Neiman Marcus to get her new product, Spanx Footless Body-Shaping Pantyhose, in its stores. It took a personal before & after demonstration in a bathroom to convince them, and Neiman Marcus would agree to test Spanx in several of its stores. Soon, Spanx would expand to other retail stores like Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Although Spanx had a product, a manufacturer and a distributor, it was virtually unknown up to this point. This would all change when Spanx Footless Body-Shaping Pantyhose was discovered by Oprah and placed on her coveted "Oprah's Favorite Things" list of 2000. This massive exposure would help Spanx grow exponentially, and the company would move from the back of Sara Blakely's apartment into new offices in Decatur, GA in 2001.
In 2003, Spanx would add 7 employees for a total of 18, as well as moving to new offices in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, GA. Spanx would continue to add new products to its line of shapewear for women, and in 2004 would kick off a string of celebrity endorsements by Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Tyra Banks, Jessica Alba, and more. In 2006, Spanx would launch a new brand of shapewear called Assets by Sara Blakely. The Assets collection of shapewear was designed to help women look great while also being less expensive than Spanx's other line of shapewear.
In 2008, Spanx launches internationally in Australia, grows to 75 employees, and releases the Bra-llelujah! Underwire Contour Collection. In 2010, men are able to join the party for the first time with the launch of Spanx for Men. Also in 2010, Spanx celebrates its 10th anniversary and introduces the world to Spanx Swimwear, a line of swimwear and bathing suits for women using the same revolutionary technology found in their regular line of shapewear.
In 2012 Sara Blakely appears on the cover of Forbes Magazine as the youngest female self-made billionaire. Also in 2012, Spanx would launch their first standalone store in Virginia; stores would soon follow in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Today, Spanx has several international websites and is continuing to expand its shop-in shops and standalone stores throughout the US and around the globe. From the beginning, the mission of Sara Blakely and Spanx has stayed the same: To help women look and feel great about themselves and what they have to offer.
Before starting Spanx, Sara Blakely graduated from Florida State University, and began work at a local stationery company called Danka. Soon after, she began selling fax machines door-to-door and in 1998 decided to take her life-savings of $5,000 and move to Atlanta, GA. During this time, Sara Blakely became frustrated with her inability to find pantyhose that did not have seamed toes and did not roll up her leg if she cut them.
Upon arriving in Atlanta, GA and designing her initial idea, Sara Blakely tried to reach production deals with local manufacturers in the area. She would eventually convince a mill in Charlotte, North Carolina to fulfill her order for 3,000 pairs of footless pantyhose. The mills co-owner, Sam Kaplan, was at first skeptical and had to be convinced by his 2 daughters that footless pantyhose would be desired.
After securing a manufacturer, Sara Blakely approached Neiman Marcus to get her new product, Spanx Footless Body-Shaping Pantyhose, in its stores. It took a personal before & after demonstration in a bathroom to convince them, and Neiman Marcus would agree to test Spanx in several of its stores. Soon, Spanx would expand to other retail stores like Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Although Spanx had a product, a manufacturer and a distributor, it was virtually unknown up to this point. This would all change when Spanx Footless Body-Shaping Pantyhose was discovered by Oprah and placed on her coveted "Oprah's Favorite Things" list of 2000. This massive exposure would help Spanx grow exponentially, and the company would move from the back of Sara Blakely's apartment into new offices in Decatur, GA in 2001.
In 2003, Spanx would add 7 employees for a total of 18, as well as moving to new offices in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, GA. Spanx would continue to add new products to its line of shapewear for women, and in 2004 would kick off a string of celebrity endorsements by Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Tyra Banks, Jessica Alba, and more. In 2006, Spanx would launch a new brand of shapewear called Assets by Sara Blakely. The Assets collection of shapewear was designed to help women look great while also being less expensive than Spanx's other line of shapewear.
In 2008, Spanx launches internationally in Australia, grows to 75 employees, and releases the Bra-llelujah! Underwire Contour Collection. In 2010, men are able to join the party for the first time with the launch of Spanx for Men. Also in 2010, Spanx celebrates its 10th anniversary and introduces the world to Spanx Swimwear, a line of swimwear and bathing suits for women using the same revolutionary technology found in their regular line of shapewear.
In 2012 Sara Blakely appears on the cover of Forbes Magazine as the youngest female self-made billionaire. Also in 2012, Spanx would launch their first standalone store in Virginia; stores would soon follow in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Today, Spanx has several international websites and is continuing to expand its shop-in shops and standalone stores throughout the US and around the globe. From the beginning, the mission of Sara Blakely and Spanx has stayed the same: To help women look and feel great about themselves and what they have to offer.
About the Author:
Before purchasing Spanx shapewear, learn more about the pro's and con's by visiting Casie Grant's newest blog, where she reviews Spanx for women, and even more .
World’s Youngest Self Made Women Billionaire.Sara Blakely: When i was 27 working for a company selling fax machines door-to-door, and then one day she had her ‘a-ha’ moment. She was going to a party and needed footless pantyhose to go with her outfit, so she cut the ‘feet’ off her pantyhose and bam: problem solved. Somewhere in there, she’d been praying to ‘the universe’ to give her an idea that will help her make millions and touch people’s lives.
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