Sara Blakely
Founder and executive chairwoman of Spanx
Sara Blakely is the American entrepreneur who founded Spanx, the shapewear company that turned a cut-off pair of tights into a global intimates brand. She built the company without outside investment until Blackstone acquired a majority stake in 2021, and she remains executive chairwoman.
| Role | Founder and executive chairwoman, Spanx |
|---|---|
| Founded | Spanx, 2000 |
| Majority owner since 2021 | Blackstone |
| Other venture | Sneex (2024) |
| Born | 1971, Clearwater, Florida |
Who is Sara Blakely?
Sara Blakely is an American businesswoman, born in 1971 in Clearwater, Florida, and the founder of Spanx. Her company helped create the modern shapewear category and became one of the best known examples of a self-funded, founder-led fashion business in the United States.
Career
Before Spanx, Blakely sold office equipment for the company Danka. According to the Spanx origin story, the idea came when she cut the feet off a pair of control-top tights to wear under white trousers. She spent around two years developing prototypes and in 2000 launched Spanx in Atlanta, Georgia, financed with about 5,000 dollars of her own savings.
Spanx reported sales of 4 million dollars in its first year and 10 million dollars in its second. A product endorsement on Oprah Winfrey's television show in November 2000 brought national attention. Over the following years the brand expanded from hosiery into shapewear, leggings, apparel and menswear, sold through department stores, its own shops and online.
In 2021 the investment firm Blackstone acquired a majority stake in Spanx in a deal that valued the company at 1.2 billion dollars. Blakely kept a significant shareholding and the role of executive chairwoman. In 2024 she launched Sneex, a footwear brand built around high-heeled sneakers designed for comfort.
Influence on the fashion business
Blakely's impact on the industry rests on a few points:
- She turned shapewear from a dated foundation garment into a branded, aspirational category
- She showed that a founder could scale a fashion business to national distribution without venture capital
- She relied on product innovation and direct storytelling rather than heavy paid advertising in the early years
- Her path inspired a wave of later shapewear and body-focused brands
Spanx's success also anticipated the shift towards comfort-led and inclusive sizing in women's apparel, a trend later taken up by many direct-to-consumer brands.
Why it matters
Blakely is regularly cited in business education as a case study in bootstrapped growth and category creation. She was named to the Time 100 list in 2012. For fashion executives, the Spanx story illustrates how a narrow, problem-solving product can grow into a broad lifestyle brand, and how founder-led companies can later bring in private equity while keeping the founder involved in brand direction.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Sara Blakely?
Sara Blakely is the American entrepreneur who founded the shapewear brand Spanx in 2000. She built the company with her own savings and remains its executive chairwoman after Blackstone took a majority stake in 2021.
Does Sara Blakely still own Spanx?
Blackstone acquired a majority stake in Spanx in 2021 in a deal valuing the company at 1.2 billion dollars. Blakely retained a stake and continues as executive chairwoman.