At a Glance
- Kendra Scott turned a spare-bedroom jewelry hobby into a $100 million-plus annual revenue brand with 150+ U.S. stores.
- Her company has donated over $70 million through the Kendra Scott Foundation to schools and hospitals.
- She started by selling homemade earrings while working a magazine ad-sales job after her first business, a hat shop, failed.
Why it matters: The story shows how a single mom without fashion training built an accessible-luxury empire by removing intimidation from jewelry shopping.
Kendra Scott’s global jewelry empire began as a quiet side hustle. While selling ad space for an Austin magazine, the then-single mom made colorful earrings and necklaces in her spare bedroom, funding production on personal credit cards and carrying samples door-to-door with her infant son strapped to her chest.
From Hat Box to Jewelry Box
Scott’s entrepreneurial spark ignited at 19 when her stepfather battled brain cancer. She dropped out of college to open the Hat Box, a shop designed to sell cozy headwear for chemotherapy patients. The store folded quickly.
“No one was wearing hats,” Scott, now 51, told News Of Losangeles. She shifted focus after taking a jewelry-making class to design hatpins. Customers soon asked for necklaces and earrings. “My side hustle was making jewelry while I was also working for this magazine,” she said.
Breakthrough on the Runway
Momentum arrived in 2005 when Oscar de la Renta invited her to create jewelry for his runway show. “I’d never even been to a runway show!” she admitted. The gig gave her confidence to open her first Kendra Scott storefront in Austin eight years after launching the line.
She ditched traditional glass cases and security guards, placing pieces on open displays so shoppers could touch and try. A color-bar station let buyers customize stones. Prices stayed under $200 to keep items “aspirational and attainable.” Lines formed around the block.
Giving Back at Scale
Today the company reports hundreds of millions in yearly revenue and operates more than 150 stores. Scott measures success beyond sales. The Kendra Scott Foundation funds school libraries and brings jewelry-making workshops to pediatric hospitals. Total donations exceed $70 million.
“Before my stepfather died, he told me, ‘Honey, you need to use the gifts you were given to do something positive,'” Scott said. “That’s the core of Kendra Scott.”
Next Chapter
Scott, engaged to country singer Zac Brown after meeting in early 2025, plans to expand into home goods, apparel, boots, and men’s products. “I’ve never had a moment where I thought, ‘I’ve made it,'” she said. “I just want to keep creating products our customers feel proud to wear.”
