How did FIGS reinvent medical scrubs?
FIGS turned scrubs into a lifestyle brand by combining athleisure fabrics, tailored fits, and direct-to-consumer storytelling to elevate clinician comfort and dignity.
Founded in Los Angeles in 2013, FIGS introduced stretch-performance scrubs, grew rapidly via social community and e-commerce, and went public in May 2021; it reported $0.53B in net revenue for 2023.
What is Brief History of FIGS Company? From a startup reshaping a legacy niche to a global brand, FIGS scaled through product innovation, digital marketing, and clinician advocacy — see FIGS Porter's Five Forces Analysis.
What is the FIGS Founding Story?
FIGS was founded on February 25, 2013, in Los Angeles by Heather Hasson and Trina Spear to solve ill‑fitting, low‑quality scrubs by building performance workwear sold direct to consumers.
Founding Story
Founders combined retail and private equity experience to launch a limited e‑commerce scrub line made from a proprietary performance fabric, seeded to clinicians and scaled via social proof and a give‑back program.
- Founded on February 25, 2013 in Los Angeles by Heather Hasson and Trina Spear
- Built around a direct‑to‑consumer FIGS business model selling performance scrubs with four‑way stretch, antimicrobial and quick‑dry features
- Early growth driven by grassroots seeding to nurses and doctors, Instagram marketing, and the Threads for Threads donation program
- Initial capital: founder equity plus angel investors, then seed financing to scale inventory, product development, and community marketing
FIGS company origin story centered on solving a fragmented apparel supply chain for clinicians; early product used a proprietary blend later associated with the FIONx fabric concept, and the short name FIGS was chosen for memorability and simplicity.
By 2024 FIGS reported net revenue of approximately $662.6 million (fiscal 2023), reflecting rapid expansion from its founding model into broader apparel and wholesale channels as part of the FIGS company timeline.
See a focused analysis of strategy and growth at Growth Strategy of FIGS
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What Drove the Early Growth of FIGS?
Early Growth and Expansion tracks FIGS company history from a minimum viable product to a multi-category, DTC-led apparel business, driven by clinician feedback, data-led merchandising, and product innovation.
Product evolution and fit refinement
Between 2014 and 2016 FIGS iterated from an MVP to fuller lines, refining Modern Classic and Slim fits and adding colorways based on clinician feedback to improve adoption and repeat purchase rates.
Early customer acquisition
Initial growth relied on social proof, micro-influencers in nursing communities, hospital pop-ups and referral programs; limited drops managed inventory risk and increased demand.
Scaling operations (2017–2019)
From 2017–2019 the brand added joggers, unisex fits, compression socks, underscrubs and outerwear, scaled fulfillment in Southern California, opened international shipping to select markets, and used size/fit analytics to lower returns and stockouts.
Revenue and R&D
Public reporting and industry coverage cite multiple years of triple-digit growth in this period; leadership invested in fabric R&D and trademarked FIONx to secure material differentiation.
Pandemic surge and IPO (2020–2021)
COVID-19 raised demand as clinicians upgraded workwear; FIGS prioritized core SKUs, strengthened logistics and priced its IPO in May 2021 at $22 per share, valuing the company near $4.4B on debut; 2021 revenue passed $419M.
DTC-first model
The business model remained DTC-first with disciplined SKU breadth, limited wholesale experiments such as pop-ups, and continued focus on customer repeat rates and LTV maximization.
Normalization and loyalty (2022–2023)
Post-pandemic macro softness tempered growth; FIGS emphasized loyalty programs, product drops, fit extensions including Tall/Petite and expanded men’s depth; 2023 net revenue reached about $530M with gross margins remaining robust versus apparel peers due to DTC mix and premium pricing.
International and category expansion
Investment in U.K., Canada and Australia foundations continued while broadening lifestyle and outerwear assortments to raise average order value and maintain healthy inventory turns.
Refinement and competitive pressure (2024–H1 2025)
FIGS improved forecasting, on-time delivery rates, refreshed fabrics and pocket designs based on clinician input, and used limited-edition colorways plus collaborations with medical organizations to sustain engagement amid rising competition from legacy uniform makers and new DTC entrants.
Differentiation through IP and community
To counter competitive pressure FIGS focused on fit technology, fabric intellectual property, community-led design councils and ongoing R&D to protect margins and customer loyalty; see a deeper look at Revenue Streams & Business Model of FIGS.
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What are the key Milestones in FIGS history?
Milestones, innovations and challenges in the FIGS company history trace rapid product-led growth from DTC scrub pioneer to a broader clinical apparel ecosystem, marked by a 2021 IPO, sustained premium gross margins, fabric IP development, community-driven marketing, and strategic responses to post‑pandemic headwinds.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Founders launched the brand direct-to-consumer, disrupting medical apparel with performance-first scrubs and clinician-driven marketing. |
| 2017 | Rapid scale via owned e-commerce and social UGC led to national retail awareness and high customer LTV cohorts. |
| 2021 | May 2021 IPO raised growth capital to expand product lines and international reach. |
FIGS introduced FIONx performance fabric offering four-way stretch, moisture-wicking, anti-wrinkle properties and a soft hand, then iterated fit blocks using clinician data to refine silhouettes. Expansion included compression socks, underscrubs, fleeces and lightweight outerwear to increase AOV and ecosystem depth.
FIONx Performance Fabric
Four-way stretch, moisture management, anti-wrinkle finish and soft hand designed for long clinical shifts; fabric IP contributed to brand differentiation and premium pricing.
Jogger Silhouettes
Modern jogger cuts popularized comfort-forward scrub styling, accelerating adoption among younger clinicians and elevating lifestyle positioning.
Role-Based Utility Pockets
Dedicated pocket systems for ER, OR and ICU roles improved clinical utility and informed product roadmaps through frontline feedback.
Antimicrobial & Easy-Care Finishes
Finishes enhanced stain resistance and washability, addressing infection-control concerns and lowering lifecycle cost for clinicians.
Data-Informed Fit Iterations
Iterative fit blocks driven by customer returns and feedback reduced fit-related churn and expanded inclusive sizing.
Product Ecosystem Expansion
Extensions into socks, underscrubs, fleeces and outerwear increased cross-sell opportunities and raised average order value.
Post‑pandemic deceleration and inflation pressured discretionary spend, while supply-chain congestion in 2022 increased lead times and working capital needs; competitor encroachment and occasional product controversies required rapid community engagement. Strategic shifts included tighter SKU discipline, improved demand planning, expanded sizing and selective international expansion to defend market position.
Go-to-Market Model
The pure DTC business model leveraged owned e-commerce, clinician UGC and limited-edition color drops to create scarcity-driven demand spikes and preserve margins.
Capital Markets & Performance
May 2021 IPO provided growth capital; valuation volatility followed as near-term growth normalized, yet reported gross margins remained attractive versus commoditized peers through 2024.
Partnerships & Community
Collaborations with medical charities, sponsorships at clinical conferences and high social engagement reinforced brand equity and clinician trust.
Product & Operational Risks
Issues like fit changes, color consistency and occasional marketing missteps prompted expedited product revisions, transparency measures and community outreach.
R&D Focus
Ongoing investment targeted fabric durability, colorfastness and stain resistance to reduce returns and strengthen the brand's technical advantage.
Brand Lessons
Brand equity, clinician community trust and fabric IP emerged as defensible moats when combined with disciplined inventory and responsive design cycles.
For a concise narrative of origins and early growth, see Brief History of FIGS.
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What is the Timeline of Key Events for FIGS?
Timeline and Future Outlook of the FIGS company history traces founding in 2013 through IPO and rapid DTC-led growth, detailing product, geographic and operational milestones and outlining a path for mid- to high-single-digit revenue growth driven by international expansion, men’s penetration and product innovation.
| Year | Key Event |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Feb 25, 2013: FIGS founded by Heather Hasson and Trina Spear in Los Angeles, CA. |
| 2014 | Launch of first DTC e-commerce site with core scrub sets and start of Threads for Threads program. |
| 2016 | Introduction of early FIONx fabric platform, expanded fits and first pop-ups near major hospitals. |
| 2017 | Started international shipping to select markets and experienced rapid Instagram-driven community growth. |
| 2018 | Expanded accessories including compression socks and underscrubs; fulfillment scaled in Southern California. |
| 2019 | Deepened men’s assortment and implemented data-driven size/fit analytics to reduce returns. |
| 2020 | Pandemic demand spike led to operational scale-up and prioritization of core colors. |
| 2021 | May 27, 2021: IPO on NYSE (FIGS); 2021 revenue surpassed $419M. |
| 2022 | Growth normalized amid supply-chain and macro headwinds; inventory and forecasting optimization. |
| 2023 | Net revenue approximately $530M with continued high gross margins and international groundwork. |
| 2024 | Product refreshes, selective collaborations and intensified competitive landscape. |
| 2025 YTD | Focus on international expansion (U.K., Canada, Australia), men’s category investment and DTC-first community design input. |
Growth trajectory and targets
Management targets mid- to high-single-digit revenue growth as macro conditions stabilize, with upside from international scale and men’s penetration backed by historic revenues of $419M in 2021 and about $530M in 2023.
Product and fabric innovation
Ongoing R&D emphasizes durability, stain-release and antimicrobial efficacy in FIONx and successor fabrics to sustain premium positioning in medical apparel.
Channels and community
Continuing a DTC-first business model with community-led product input and disciplined limited drops to protect gross margins and brand scarcity.
International and category expansion
Execution focus on U.K., Canada and Australia, plus deeper men’s assortments and adjacent professional apparel tied to clinical use-cases for incremental TAM capture.
FIGS Porter's Five Forces Analysis
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- What is Competitive Landscape of FIGS Company?
- What is Growth Strategy and Future Prospects of FIGS Company?
- How Does FIGS Company Work?
- What is Sales and Marketing Strategy of FIGS Company?
- What are Mission Vision & Core Values of FIGS Company?
- Who Owns FIGS Company?
- What is Customer Demographics and Target Market of FIGS Company?
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