Amelie Teje: Side hustle of two friends became a multimillion dollar company that found its way into Hailey Bieber’s wardrobe

In 2024, the creators of Amelie Teje, Saskia Teje Jenkins and Paris Emily Nicholson spoke to Entrepreneur Magazine, about the obstacles, problems, sacrifices and benefits they had faced in their drive to develop a multimillion dollar brand from zero.

What is Amelie Teje?

Amelie Teje is a women's modern fashion business featuring ultra-feminine shapes, dresses, blouses, and swimwear, according to their website.

Amelie Teje and Celebrities

Forbes said that Amelie Teje, a female-founded Australian company, was thrust into the worldwide spotlight after Hailey Bieber wore it during a Rhode campaign. A couple of days later, they were tagged by various Instagram accounts and spotted Hailey Bieber wearing their brand’s garment.

When did the idea occur?

Nicholson recalls during the Entrepreneur Interview that she was working retail part-time and freelancing for ecommerce brands, while Jenkins said that she was a full-time fashion model.

Nicholson said she quickly realized she liked to work for herself after freelancing in digital marketing. Seeing gaps in the market, starting with missing parts in her own wardrobe, she got down with Jenkins in 2020 to discuss the idea.

Both buddies combined their middle names to create Amelie Teje which launched in 2021.

“We’ve been hustling every day since!” "Nicholson said.

“I’ve always wanted to have a fashion company but never thought I could do it because I went straight from school into modeling, with no university education,” Jenkins said. “But being around designers, creatives, production managers and everything in between taught me so much.”

How did they start creating Amelie Teje?

The founders came together and chose a brand name, designed logo and built Amelie Teje’s vision. Soon after, they began exploring for manufacturers that aligned best with their brand aspirations. They did a lot of study to figure out who their ideal consumers would be and who their competition may be.

They placed all their savings into their first ever collection, saving every penny they could. They didn't withdraw any money for at least the first couple years.

The most difficult parts of creating Amelie Teje were:

The most initial issue for both Nicholson and Jenkins was balancing their careers with the business. Most weekends were Amelie Teje time, instead of going out or hanging with friends.

“It’s an amazing problem to have, but stressful nonetheless,” said Jenkins, speaking to the struggle of juggling modeling with the developing company.

They began packing orders from a tiny room and decided the next step was to go to a 3PL supplier to do their order fulfillment.

What was the side hustle income?

The Entrepreneur Magazine interview says Amelie Teje earned $549,993.32 in income its first two years. It took at least two years to get to constant monthly revenue, then the numbers started to get more stable.

The founders shared some numbers from October 2024:

• 1,318% sales growth between FY 2021 and FY 2024.
• Gross profit increase: 472% year-over-year.

Nicholson and Jenkins love the upside of being successful entrepreneurs. They both enjoy networking, travelling various locations for photoshoots and getting to work with their best friends every day and choosing to work their own hours.