BÉIS
Shay Mitchell's travel brand, built with brand incubator Beach House Group. $300M+ in revenue by year six, profitable the entire time, on a single $12.5M funding round.
BÉIS crossed $300 million in revenue in 2024, up from roughly $20 million in its first full year, making it one of the fastest-growing celebrity brands in any consumer category. The company has been profitable since its earliest operations and has raised only $12.5 million in outside funding, which means nearly all of that growth was financed by the business itself.
Shay Mitchell, the actress best known for Pretty Little Liars, co-founded BÉIS in partnership with Beach House Group, a brand incubator run by PJ Brice and Shaun Neff that provided the capital, executives, and back-end operations. Beach House Group holds the majority ownership stake, as the firm’s model is to retain control of the brands it builds. Neff has described the arrangement bluntly: “We own ‘em, we operate ‘em.” Mitchell holds a minority stake in the $300 million brand she co-created and serves as Chief Creative Officer rather than CEO.
At a glance:
| Founded | October 2018 (18 months of development starting 2017) |
| Founder | Shay Mitchell (Co-Founder, Chief Creative Officer) |
| CEO | Adeela Hussain Johnson (promoted from President, July 2024) |
| Ownership | Mitchell (minority) + Beach House Group (majority), run by PJ Brice and Shaun Neff |
| Revenue (2024) | $300M+ |
| Funding | $12.5M Series B (June 2022) from Beach House Group and The Najafi Companies |
| Employees | ~36 |
| Retailers | beistravel.com, Nordstrom, Revolve, Anthropologie, Bloomingdale’s, ULTA, Selfridges (UK), Indigo (Canada), Hudson Airport Group (8 airports) |
| Price range | $12 (luggage tags) to $438 (Pro Rolling Duffle); carry-on $218 |
| HQ | El Segundo, California |
The Story
Mitchell sketched her ideal travel bag on a cocktail napkin while sitting on an airplane, and the name came from a piece of luggage she already owned: a worn-out beige leather bag she loved too much to throw away. BÉIS, pronounced “bays,” is derived from the Spanish word for beige, and Mitchell chose the accent mark because it reminded her of an airplane taking off.
Beach House Group turned that cocktail napkin into a company. PJ Brice and Shaun Neff provided the startup capital, hired the executive team, and handled supply chain, fulfillment, and back-office operations, which is the same incubator model that firms like Kendo use in beauty and that Beach House has repeated across its portfolio of celebrity brands. Adeela Hussain Johnson was installed as co-founder and operator from day one, bringing experience as a director of brand development at Target and a financial planning background from Ameriprise. Mitchell flew to China to personally observe manufacturing and select samples during the 18-month product development cycle.
BÉIS launched in October 2018 on Nordstrom.com and beistravel.com with seven products priced between $12 and $83. The first year generated roughly $20 million in revenue, and a limited edition of 300 mesh totes sold out in six minutes. Then COVID arrived and wiped out the travel industry. BÉIS scrapped its planned suitcase line and repositioned itself as an “on-the-go” brand rather than a luggage company, marketing its Weekender bag for trips to the park, the market, and the grocery store instead of the airport. The pivot drove a 4x increase in direct-to-consumer revenue during the pandemic, while competitors built around travel, like Away, faced a market that had effectively gone to zero.
The Strategy
”On-the-go,” not “travel”
The single most important strategic decision BÉIS made was refusing to call itself a luggage company. By positioning around movement rather than travel, the brand survived a global pandemic that shut down airports and thrived during the years when its primary use case did not exist. Away, which had built its entire identity around travel and priced its carry-on at $295, had no fallback. BÉIS sold $218 carry-ons and $108 Weekenders, and when nobody was flying, the Weekender still had a reason to exist.
The price gap between cheap and luxury
BÉIS occupies the space between generic luggage and brands like Away and Rimowa ($1,000+), a gap that the luggage industry had mostly ignored. The brand expanded this positioning in both directions by adding BÉISics, an entry-level line aimed at Gen Z, and the Pro Collection ($68 to $438), which includes a men’s line launched in January 2026. The result is a price architecture that captures customers from $12 luggage tags to $438 rolling duffles without competing directly against either end of the market.
Social-first, celebrity-second
Mitchell deliberately chose not to name the brand “BÉIS by Shay Mitchell.” She has said that she prefers hearing people discover her involvement after they have already bought the product, which inverts the typical celebrity brand playbook where the famous name is the entire value proposition. Instagram drove 80% of e-commerce traffic in the brand’s early years, powered by Mitchell’s 36 million followers and a content strategy built around influencer marketing rather than traditional advertising. The approach generated a 30% repeat purchase rate within the first 12 months.
Pop-ups that generate revenue, not just buzz
BÉIS has turned experiential marketing into a measurable revenue channel. The BÉIS Motel pop-up at The Grove in Los Angeles in May 2022 attracted more than 5,000 guests and drove a 30% increase in e-commerce traffic. The BÉIS Wash in February 2024, a free luggage car wash designed as a direct response to customer durability complaints, drew over 1,200 attendees, generated 7.2 million in social reach, and became the brand’s highest-revenue moment in its history. A December 2025 collaboration with Chipotle produced an 11-piece capsule collection that included a burrito holder sling. The brand also benefited from unplanned earned media when Raquel Leviss was photographed carrying a BÉIS Weekender during the Vanderpump Rules “Scandoval” in 2023, and BÉIS posted “PSA: THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST. We provide the bag not the baggage,” which went viral.
Wholesale from day one
Away built its brand on a DTC-only model for years before moving into retail. BÉIS launched at Nordstrom on the first day and has expanded its wholesale footprint consistently since, adding Revolve, Anthropologie, Bloomingdale’s, ULTA, Selfridges in the UK, Indigo in Canada, and Hudson Airport Group locations in eight airports. For a brand with roughly 36 employees, wholesale provides reach that a small team could never achieve through its own online business alone.
The Numbers
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2019 | ~$20M (first full year) |
| 2020 | Not disclosed (“triple digit growth” despite COVID) |
| FY ending ~March 2023 | $120M+ |
| 2023 | $200M |
| 2024 | $300M+ |
BÉIS has compounded revenue at extraordinary rates on minimal outside capital. The $12.5 million Series B in June 2022, from Beach House Group and The Najafi Companies, is the only publicly documented funding round, and the company has been profitable since its earliest operations. For comparison, Away raised over $100 million in venture capital before it had proven profitability. No other major celebrity-founded consumer brand has reached $300 million in annual revenue on less than $15 million in total funding.
Hussain Johnson’s role: Adeela Hussain Johnson was promoted from President to CEO in July 2024, a transition that formalized the operational structure that had been in place since launch. Mitchell remains Chief Creative Officer, which means the person running the $300 million business is a former Target brand development director and Ameriprise financial planner, not an actress.
Controversies
”Fraud Alert” email marketing scandal
On December 1, 2025, BÉIS sent a promotional email at 2 a.m. with the subject line “Action required: Fraud alert” and body copy referencing a “Security Breach.” The actual content was a Cyber Monday sale extension, with the reveal reading “The fraud is us… sale now extended.” Customers who had recently experienced real card compromises reacted with anger, with one writing: “This is a DISGUSTING way to market your products. As someone who has literally had their cards compromised recently, this sent my nervous system straight into a panic.” Attorney Taylor Tieman said the email may violate the CAN-SPAM Act’s prohibition on deceptive subject lines, though no FTC enforcement action has been reported.
What You Can Learn
Your positioning needs to survive the worst-case scenario. BÉIS called itself an “on-the-go” brand, and when a global pandemic eliminated travel, the Weekender still had a use case. Away called itself a travel brand, and when nobody was traveling, it had nothing. The way you describe your business determines which markets you can serve when conditions change, and the broadest framing that remains honest will always outperform the narrowest one. This applies to any online business, not just physical products.
Profitability is a choice, not a stage. BÉIS reached $300 million in revenue on $12.5 million in total funding because it was built to be profitable from the start, not to raise more capital at higher valuations. Most celebrity brands built through incubators follow a similar path because the incubator’s capital is their own money, and they want it back. If you can build a profitable unit economics model before you scale, outside capital becomes optional rather than existential.
The incubator model works, but the founder pays for it. Beach House Group provided the capital, the CEO, and the operational infrastructure that turned Mitchell’s cocktail napkin into a $300 million company. The trade-off is that Mitchell holds a minority stake in the brand she co-created. That is the fundamental tension of the licensing-versus-ownership question: you can own more of a smaller company or less of a bigger one, and the incubator model consistently chooses the latter.
Respond to complaints with marketing. The BÉIS Wash, a free pop-up where customers could get their luggage cleaned, was conceived as a direct response to durability complaints on social media. Instead of issuing a statement or ignoring the criticism, the brand turned the feedback into its highest-revenue event. The lesson is that customer complaints are product briefs if you treat them that way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns BÉIS?
Beach House Group, the brand incubator run by PJ Brice and Shaun Neff, holds the majority ownership stake. Shay Mitchell holds a minority stake as co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. Neff has said publicly that Beach House Group retains control of the brands it incubates, typically offering only minority stakes to celebrity partners.
How much revenue does BÉIS generate?
BÉIS exceeded $300 million in revenue in 2024, up from $200 million in 2023, $120 million in the fiscal year ending approximately March 2023, and roughly $20 million in 2019. The company has been profitable since its earliest operations.
How do you pronounce BÉIS?
BÉIS is pronounced “bays,” derived from the Spanish word for beige. Mitchell named the brand after her beloved worn-out beige leather travel bag.
How does BÉIS compare to Away?
BÉIS and Away both sell direct-to-consumer luggage, but the two brands diverge on pricing, positioning, and business model. Away’s carry-on starts at $295 and the brand spent years as DTC-only with over $100 million in venture funding. BÉIS prices its carry-on at $218, launched at Nordstrom on day one, has raised only $12.5 million, and has been profitable since its earliest operations.
Who is the CEO of BÉIS?
Adeela Hussain Johnson became CEO in July 2024 after being promoted from President. She was installed as co-founder and operator from day one, bringing experience as a director of brand development at Target. Shay Mitchell serves as Chief Creative Officer and focuses on creative direction and content.
Who founded BÉIS?
Shay Mitchell co-founded BÉIS in October 2018 with Beach House Group, the brand incubator run by PJ Brice and Shaun Neff. Mitchell sketched the original travel bag on a cocktail napkin during a flight, and Beach House Group provided the startup capital, executive team, and back-end operations that turned the concept into a company.
When was BÉIS founded?
BÉIS launched in October 2018 on Nordstrom.com and beistravel.com after roughly 18 months of product development starting in 2017. The first year generated around $20 million in revenue, and a limited edition of 300 mesh totes sold out in six minutes.
Where is BÉIS made?
BÉIS products are manufactured in China, where Mitchell personally traveled during the 18-month development cycle to observe production and select samples. The brand is headquartered in El Segundo, California with roughly 36 employees handling design, marketing, and operations stateside.
Sources
- Fortune, “Why Shay Mitchell’s Travel Brand BÉIS Prioritized Profitability,” August 2023. Revenue figures, profitability, founding story, naming origin.
- Fortune, “Celebrity Brands and Incubators,” September 2025. $300M revenue, Beach House Group ownership model, Shaun Neff quotes on incubator structure.
- Glossy, “After Reaching $200 Million in 2023, BÉIS Is Hitting the Gas on Growth,” 2024. Revenue milestones, wholesale expansion, pop-up strategy.
- WWD, “Shay Mitchell’s BÉIS Hits $120 Million in Revenue,” March 2023. $120M revenue, employee count, profitability confirmation.
- Modern Retail, “How Travel Brand BÉIS Was Able to Grow During a Pandemic,” 2020. COVID pivot, “on-the-go” positioning, Weekender revenue impact.
- Marketing Brew, “How Customer Feedback Is Driving BÉIS’s Marketing Strategy,” April 2024. BÉIS Wash details, social reach, revenue impact.
- Inside Retail, “How BÉIS CEO Is Showing the Luggage Industry Who’s Boss,” 2024. Adeela Hussain Johnson background, wholesale strategy, CEO promotion.
- Inc., “Shay Mitchell’s Luggage Brand May Have Broken the Law,” December 2025. Fraud alert email controversy, CAN-SPAM analysis, customer reactions.
- Foundr, “Shay Mitchell BÉIS,” 2019. Cocktail napkin origin, brand naming, early product development.