What is Sophia Amoruso's Net Worth?
Sophia Amoruso is an American fashion designer, author, and entrepreneur with a net worth of $20 million. She is most renowned for founding the women's fashion retailer Nasty Gal and the entertainment company Girlboss Media.
At Nasty Gal's peak success, around 2012/2013, the company was generating tens of millions in annual revenue. In 2012, Sophia and Nasty Gal received a $49 million investment from Index Ventures. Dubbed the "Cinderella of tech" by the New York Times, she made Inc. Magazine's "30 Under 30" list in 2013. Unfortunately, by 2016, Nasty Gal filed for bankruptcy, causing her net worth to plummet from $280 million to $20 million. Amid these challenges, she authored "#GIRLBOSS," which Netflix adapted into a series in 2017.
Early Life
Sophia Amoruso was born on April 20, 1984, in San Diego, California, boasting Portuguese, Greek, and Italian ancestry. Raised in the Greek Orthodox church, she faced depression and ADHD as a teen, leading her to drop out of school and homeschool. Her early jobs included a Subway restaurant, a bookstore, and a record shop. After high school and her parents' divorce, she moved to Sacramento for a liberating lifestyle. Her adventurous early adulthood involved hitchhiking, shoplifting, and dumpster diving along the West Coast. In Portland, Oregon, she quit shoplifting after being caught. Relocating to San Francisco for a hernia surgery, she worked as a security guard at the Academy of Art University for health insurance.
Career Beginnings
While employed at the Academy of Art University, Amoruso launched an eBay store named Nasty Gal Vintage, after Betty Davis' 1975 album. Selling vintage apparel, her first item sold was a book she had stolen as a teen. Leveraging photography skills, she managed all aspects of the business. Nasty Gal Vintage flourished, making $1 million annually within six years. However, in 2008, she was banned from eBay for including hyperlinks in customer feedback.
Nasty Gal
Post-eBay, Amoruso launched Nasty Gal as a standalone online store. It quickly gained a massive following among young women on social media. The business saw its revenue soar from $223,000 in 2008 to nearly $23 million in 2011. At its height, Nasty Gal earned $100 million annually and employed over 200 people. She was lauded as a "Cinderella of tech" and made Inc. Magazine's "30 Under 30" list. Despite her success, Amoruso confessed to Forbes that she was ill-prepared for the CEO's role, having no prior leadership experience. She stepped down in January 2015, and by November 2016, Nasty Gal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In February 2017, Boohoo Group purchased Nasty Gal for $20 million. The company continues in Los Angeles, creating clothing, shoes, and accessories.
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Girlboss Media
In December 2017, Amoruso founded Girlboss Media, which produces editorial content, podcasts, and videos aimed at young women, particularly Millennials. The company aims to help women advance in their personal and professional lives. Additionally, Girlboss Rallies, weekend-long events, offer guidance to budding entrepreneurs.
Other Media Endeavors
Sophia Amoruso authored "#GIRLBOSS," published by the Penguin imprint Portfolio in 2014. Netflix adapted the book into a series in 2017, starring Britt Robertson as a fictionalized Amoruso, along with Ellie Reed, Johnny Simmons, Alphonso McAuley, Dean Norris, and Melanie Lynskey. Criticized as narcissistic, the series was canceled after one season. Amoruso appeared on MTV's "House of Style" in 2012 and was a guest judge on "Project Runway All Stars" in 2015. She also featured on "Pop Culture Underground."
Personal Life
In 2015, Amoruso married Joel DeGraff; they divorced two years later.
Real Estate
After raising $50 million for Nasty Gal, Amoruso bought a midcentury Los Angeles mansion once owned by filmmaker Sofia Coppola. Spanning 3,300 square feet, it features glassy architecture and high-end, vintage furniture.
