From one product to a global lingerie fashion brand: Meet saint sass
Berlin-based fashion start-up Saint Sass became famous for its statement tights featuring bold slogans like “Retire rich” and “Mom, I’m a rich man.” Read our article to discover what helped them rise to fame — and what we can learn from their journey.
Berlin based fashion start-up saint sass was made famous for its statement tights with slogans like “Retire rich” or “Mom, I’m a rich man”. It was brought to life 4 years ago by two exceptional females Vivien Wysocki and Larissa Schmid with nothing but a big dream to start a successful business in the fashion industry. However, a lot has changed since their humble beginnings, today they’re making waves not only in Germany and in Europe but in the USA with stars like Madonna and Paris Hilton noticing their products; closer than ever to fulfill their ultimate goal: become a global lingerie fashion brand.
What helped them achieve these incredible results, and what can we learn from their journey? We did a little digging and came up with 5 key takeaways from Vivien and Larissa (though we’re sure this is just the tip of the iceberg!). If you’re looking to start a successful e-commerce business, dive in – valuable insights are waiting for you.
Choose your business partner wisely
What immediately stands out when learning about saint sass is the remarkable business relationship between its two CEOs, Vivien and Larissa. In a world where many such partnerships collapse over differences in opinion and future plans, theirs shows how the right match can truly drive success.
On their Linkedin profiles, they’ve shared that their strength lies in complete trust, complementary talents, and a shared vision for their company.
They also emphasize mutual respect and consciously avoid power struggles, which they see as a waste of time and energy better spent moving projects forward. For them, the workspace is a place of comfort and collaboration, always oriented toward shared goals.
Their advice for anyone seeking the perfect co-CEO? Take your time. Listen to your gut, and before formalizing the partnership, test the relationship by working together on time-limited projects.
Spend some time on your brand’s message
People don’t simply decide to buy your products because they need them. There are many others to choose from. They buy your products because they like the way they make them feel. Your message speaks to them.
This is a clear case of saint sass as the slogans on their products empower women to feel confident in themselves and in what they can achieve in life, no matter what other people think.
They follow a quote from Cher that resonates with what many women desire today: not having to depend on a man to make a living, but instead pursuing their own ambitions and seeing where those may take them:
Mother told me a few years ago “Sweetheart settle down and marry a rich man”. I said: “Mom, I am a rich man”.
– Cher in an interview with Jane Pauley from 1996.
Don’t be afraid to learn by doing
Many businesses are afraid of testing. They see it as potentially wasteful and want to be 100% safe and certain that something will work before moving forward. This approach destroys creativity, and such a mindset rarely leads to the creation of something new and fruitful. As a result, they miss opportunities to grow.
Larissa and Vivien don’t make mistakes like that. They know it’s worth jumping in and testing the waters sometimes. That’s exactly what they did when they took their best-performing ads from Germany and tested them in the U.S. market.
Their results were insane:
- Their KPIs in the USA were better than in Germany starting from day one.
- The shopping cart was higher.
- Conversion rate stable.
- And then they caught the eye of Katy Perry’s stylist, who reached out.
All of it simply by being courageous enough to try something new.
Remember that you don’t have to be on site
If you think that you have to have an office and people in the area you want to scale your business too, saint sass is a good example that it’s not always necessary.
As Larissa wrote in one of her Linkedin posts:
“There are five of us in Berlin and yet we managed to make millions in sales in the USA. No team on site, no warehouse in the States, no company. Instead: a clear funnel, good creatives and a setup that scales.”
In today’s world our online connections are often enough to enter a new market. With them what you need is not another office in a foreign country but a vision, determination, and a will to work hard towards your goal.
Listen to your community
saint sass began with bold, black statement tights in 2021. They could have stopped there, but they didn’t – partly because they never stopped listening to their community.
Encouraged by their audience, they expanded into underwear and bodysuits, then later into colorful clothing – offering fresh options for the summer months.
An interesting example comes from Vivien’s post on LinkedIn. When they launched black mesh briefs with statements last year, they were an instant hit. The team thought: “Hammer, these are season-independent products!”. But summer told a different story.
They wondered what the issue might be – until a spontaneous idea came up: photoshopping the black briefs in pink and testing them as an ad.
The response was immediate. CTRs jumped. People commented and messaged, asking when the colored briefs would be available because they couldn’t wait to order. The insight was clear: their audience wanted color for summer. When saint sass launched them, daily sales multiplied by five.
The lesson? Great ideas don’t only come from within. Sometimes your best inspiration is your community – and who better to ask than your own customers?
Over to you
That’s it, folks! A nutshell of good advice inspired by saint sass’ incredible success. We hope it encourages you to follow their example: dare to try, choose your business partners wisely, listen to your community, and – most of all – create a brand with a message that speaks volumes.
Curious to learn more about saint sass? Visit their official website and dive into their journey.
