CEO's 'Powerful' Business Change Leads to 8-Figure Revenue

[ad_1] "It is at all times been my dream to be a CEO of a trend model," Ginny Seymour, CEO of up to date ladies's trend model Aligne, tells Entrepreneur.

Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Aligne. CEO Ginny Seymour.

A trend business veteran who began her profession as a up to date purchaser at Saks Fifth Avenue, Seymour had a possibility to comprehend that aim with Aligne, initially based by Dalbir Bains as a wholesale ladies's trend model in London in 2020.

Seymour envisioned a brand new period for Aligne — the model may fill a white house she noticed in trendy ladies's clothes: the necessity for design-led, wearable items at an accessible worth level, delivered with an omnichannel method.

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Seymour got down to make it occur, primarily "refounding" the corporate. She joined the enterprise as managing director in 2022, relaunched Aligne underneath her imaginative and prescient in 2023 and was formally named CEO in 2024.

Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Aligne

"I felt companions [had to be] an enormous a part of the story."

Throughout her first a number of years as CEO, Seymour targeted on Aligne's neighborhood constructing on-line and "design handwriting," then branched out from a direct-to-consumer technique to an omnichannel method with U.S. retail companions.

In reality, regardless of being a London-founded model, Aligne sees a bigger a part of its enterprise unfolding within the U.S., Seymour says.

The CEO even just lately relocated from London to New York to assist the U.S. workplace and crew because the model continues its growth.

" We're nonetheless based mostly within the UK, so I journey backwards and forwards," Seymour says. "London to me is our inventive hub; it is a part of our DNA being a British model. That is tremendous necessary to me and one thing we do not wish to lose. So we're very a lot creatively pushed out of London, however commercially pushed out of the U.S."

Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Aligne

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As a nonetheless comparatively younger British model, Aligne positive factors validation with a U.S. viewers via retailers which have loyal buyer bases.

"In the UK, it is simpler to be direct-to-consumer solely as a result of the UK is far smaller and extra attainable," Seymour says. "However within the U.S., to resonate as the following modern model that folks needs to be taking a look at, I felt companions [had to be] an enormous a part of the story."

Aligne just lately launched with Nordstrom, a retailer Seymour says she'd at all times hoped to accomplice with at some point, after the corporate direct-messaged her to specific its curiosity within the model. Aligne can also be out there at Anthropologie.

Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Aligne

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"There's much less visibility [into] the analytics and who your buyer is. It's important to actually pay attention."

Regardless of the long-term aim to increase in retail, Seymour first prioritized understanding Aligne as a model and its relationship to clients earlier than tackling these partnerships, appreciating how necessary that technique is for sustainable success.

Whether or not you are refounding a enterprise that already exists or beginning one from scratch, understanding who your buyer is — and shortly — will make or break its progress. "And that is simpler stated than accomplished," the CEO notes. "There are such a lot of components. With each iOS replace, there's much less visibility [into] the analytics and who your buyer is. It's important to actually pay attention."

Aligne's goal clients are "assured, working" ladies, and acknowledging what these customers needed in a clothes line helped information the model's design shift and the course of its assortment, Seymour says.

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Dialing into that buyer base is paying off. Aligne ended its fiscal 12 months in July 2025 with 56% year-over-year income progress and income approaching eight figures.

Most of Aligne's items are priced between $100 and $300. Though Seymour acknowledges why some manufacturers evolve into the "premium modern" house amid rising prices and tariff challenges, she says the corporate is dedicated to its accessible worth level.

Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Aligne

"I shortly needed to be taught the place I did not wish to lean and the way to verify to get the assist."

Being a CEO is so much tougher than Seymour thought it could be when she was 20 years previous, she admits. However she appreciates how the job has allowed her to attract on her expertise as a purchaser, which demanded a "steadiness of artwork and science" very similar to the chief function does.

"[There might be a] week that I am so inventive and designing the idea and the road, and there is different days the place I am positively leaning into the science," Seymour says. "However I shortly needed to be taught the place I did not wish to lean and the way to verify to get the assist in these areas as a result of a CEO wears so many hats."

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One of many largest classes Seymour's realized throughout her tenure as CEO to this point is the worth in listening to her instincts — even when it is tough. Over the primary couple of months of the corporate's refounding, Seymour generally hesitated to say what she needed, then did not get the outcomes that she desired.

"Three months in, I had this second the place I introduced the crew collectively and was a lot clearer about what I needed," Seymour says. "That introduced them extra on the journey with me, and it solidified us as a crew and our values. When you have an thought and also you're constructing your individual enterprise, trusting your intestine and never being scared to say it's highly effective."

"It is at all times been my dream to be a CEO of a trend model," Ginny Seymour, CEO of up to date ladies's trend model Aligne, tells Entrepreneur.

Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Aligne. CEO Ginny Seymour.

A trend business veteran who began her profession as a up to date purchaser at Saks Fifth Avenue, Seymour had a possibility to comprehend that aim with Aligne, initially based by Dalbir Bains as a wholesale ladies's trend model in London in 2020.