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Avant Gaudy

Avant Gaudy

Deborah Umunnabuike, 24, Jessica Umunnabuike, 22, and Vincent Choi, 24
www.avantgaudy.com)
Chicago

Then:
Last year, the online vintage clothing shop founded by sisters Deborah and Jessica Umunnabuike began to see growing international demand for its shirts, with 26,000 visitors from over 30 countries visiting the Web site. The sisters had also added Hong Kong native Vincent Choi to the team to bring a more global perspective to the e-tailer.

Now:
"As a business, what we've really seen this past year has been growth on an international scale," says Deborah Umunnabuike, referring to the downturn in the U.S. retail sector. Of total sales, she says 46% came from abroad, and expects that number to approach 60% by the holiday season. The company is soon relaunching a boutique department within its online store that will feature up-and-coming designers that get to keep 100% of their clothing's profits. "We want to become a launching pad for new talent," she says.