Selling oversized hoodies on TikTok Shop and becoming one of the fastest-growing apparel brands on the platform. Today, we’re talking about how Hudson sells hoodies designed to feel like a hug. We’ll take a look at how this young founder grew up, stumbled, and eventually built a $500 million business.
- Producto: Weighted hoodie for mental health
- Precio: $39–$120 dynamic pricing
- Fundador: Hudson Leogrande
- Sales Channels: Website & TikTok Shop
- Sales Revenue: $500M from 2022 to 2025
- Funding: 100% self-funded
Now let’s dive into the story from Hudson’s first person perspective to walk through how he turned a basic oversized hoodie into a viral hit and scaled it into a $500M brand.
Where the Product Idea Came From?
Back in high school, I dropped out, things with my family were rough, and I ended up running away from home for a while. I was anxious, lonely, and just wished someone could give me a hug. That feeling inspired the idea. I wanted to create a weighted hoodie that could give people that feeling of being supported, anytime, anywhere. The name Comfort says it all. I tried to get the domain, and eventually spent $5,000 to buy Comfrt.com before we even launched.
Most fashion brands focus on design. They think like designers. But we treated our hoodies like a product. I didn’t invent the hoodie. But I can give it a new purpose to help people feel less anxious and connected. People don’t need a reason to buy a basic hoodie. But they will buy a powerful idea that resonates. And with the right message, I knew we could spark conversations and make it go viral.
How I Got the Money to Start?
I’ll be honest—my startup money for Comfrt came from my first product: a teeth whitening kit. I came across a few brands on Instagram and looked them up on Alibaba. The manufacturing cost was dirt cheap, but the retail price was marked up insanely. Actually, I didn’t like the product. But it was profitable. I had just dropped out of high school, and this was my shot. I started with $1,000, bought white-label kits from Alibaba, and packed them in my mom’s basement.
At first, I could barely sell any. But then a friend helped me run a story-telling video ad on Snapchat. That’s when things started to move. I made my first real money, and more importantly, I learned the basics of e-commerce. That’s how Comfrt got funded. The company is 100% self-owned, with no outside investors involved.
Price, Stockouts, and Presale Strategy
Stockouts pushed us to dynamic pricing
We had no idea how to run a clothing brand at the beginning and we definitely messed up on pricing. Looking back, launching at $140 was way too expensive for a hoodie. It didn’t sell well. So we dropped the price to around $60 and everything changed. We did $150K in sales in just two weeks. But we weren’t prepared. We ran out of stock almost immediately and had to take everything offline. It takes at least three months to produce and restock, and for the next four to five months, we were completely out. That should’ve been our biggest growth window—but we missed it.
We knew the market was big. But how do you price a product in a way that drives sales and keeps inventory moving? You can’t keep relying on 20%, 30%, or 40% discounts forever. People start waiting for sales, and that kills your margins and your brand image.
So instead of locking at a fixed price, we decided to implement dynamic pricing. When a hoodie is almost sold out or inventory drops to a certain threshold, the price goes up. But when we have plenty of stock, we keep the price lower and more accessible. That way, we can slow down sales when needed and avoid stockouts. And when inventory is really full, we occasionally run fresh sales to clear it out.
Pre-orders were the only way we could scale
Like I mentioned earlier, there were no outside investors. While the brand was growing fast, so was the cash gap. People think $150K in sales means you’re swimming in profit, but the truth is: if we didn’t figure something out, we were going to go bankrupt in a few months.
The solution? Pre-orders. Even when we had some stock on hand, we offered customers a choice—pay less if you’re willing to wait two months. That gave us the breathing room we needed. It was like running our own mini bank. Customers paid upfront, we delayed the delivery window, and used the cash to place production orders. We could also see exactly how much demand was coming in and plan inventory with real data.
But it wasn’t easy for operations and customer service. We hire 40 new reps in one month, and had five different fulfillment centers ready. But delays still hit. last year’s Black Friday, we had one shipment delayed three weeks at sea. It was a nightmare. That experience taught us to build in more buffer time.
Stop Wasting Money on Big Influencers
Let me be real. If you’re a startup and you’ve got $100K in your bank account, paying $20K or $30K to a big influencer for one post is basically gambling. And it could shut your whole business down. As a founder, I’d rather play it smart and lower the risk. I once paid $25,000 to our biggest creator, Tony. They originally asked for $50K, but I told them $25K was my max. Luckily, he had a super loyal fanbase, and we made some money off that campaign. But after that, I tried working with bigger influencers of millions of followers, and none of them worked.
Then I realized: follower count doesn’t matter. It’s all about the content. The video needs to be good, grab attention, and spark conversation. The more people talking about your product, the better. That’s exactly why TikTok Shop’s commission model works so well. We can spend way less and still find creators who actually make content that converts. Think street interviews with a twist, staged podcasts or problem-solved vedios. We still spend money on ads. But we let micro-creators take the lead. They earn commission, which keeps them more motivated to keep creating. It’s a win-win.
Why We Only Sell Here?
Compared to most other brands, we’re probably one of the most niche. We focus only on our website and TikTok Shop. You won’t find us on Amazon because demand is already huge, and marketplaces like that just eat into margins. Right now, we’re not interested in chasing volume at the cost of brand value. To us, Amazon is something we’re saving for the future acquirer. Long term, our goal is to go global and get into major retailers like Target.
TikTok is a huge part of our strategy. Comfrt was most purchased hoodie brand on TikTok Shop. If someone searches “hoodie” on TikTok, we’re the first thing that pops up—4.7 stars, over a million units sold, and tens of thousands of videos mentioning us. That builds instant trust. And trust drives sales. The two brands our customers mention most are Nike and Skims. And it makes sense. When someone types “Nike hoodie” into the TikTok search bar, and Comfrt shows up instead, with more sales and better engagement. That’s how we won over customers from those big brands.
How I Expanding the Product Line?
We expanded our color and style range with soft pastels, minimalist prints, and camo tones. To reach more people, we added options for kids and pets. Listening to customer feedback, we also rolled out a straight-leg sweatpant for those who prefer a looser fit. For travel, we created a hoodie with thoughtful details, like a sleeve pocket for AirPods and a hidden zip compartment for your passport. And since hoodie sales are seasonal, we introduced summer loungewear: lightweight tees and shorts designed for warmer weather.
Each collection carries a name with meaning—You Matter, Love, Affirmation, Tranquil. The printed tags with kind, encouraging words remind people they’re seen and valued.
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