In 2019, Boys Lie co-founders, Tori Robinson and Leah O’Malley, embarked on a unique business journey after a devastating heartbreak bonded them for life. Over four years later, the duo is now, respectfully, laughing all the way to the bank with the creation of a global luxury streetwear empire loved by celebrities, influencers, the scorned, and the self-empowered.

Boys Lie’s ability to stay relevant in an ever-changing digital landscape is one to take notes on, as their bold graphics and cheeky text across flattering, oversize silhouettes has become wardrobe staples for the likes of Dua Lipa, Gigi Hadid, Zendaya, Selena Gomez, and Megan Fox, to name a few. Tori and Leah’s strategic partnerships with retailers from Revolve to Urban Outfitters, and exclusive capsule collections from Forbes to Uber have further propelled the Boys Lie meteoric rise across the fashion zeitgeist.

To compliment the ultra successful fashion house, Tori and Leah launched an eponymous Boys Lie podcast in 2023, immediately captivating audiences worldwide. The podcast seamlessly extends the brand’s ethos of self-expression and healing after heartbreak, creating a supportive community through empathy and relatability.

Boys Lie’s success story is a testament to female entrepreneurship and finding your brand niche. As the brand expands further into the UK fashion sphere, Tori and Leah share with us what can be expected next for the power-house duo.

Read the interview…

Tori and Leah, you have created a narrative-rich fashion powerhouse that transcends categories. Can you walk us through the Boys Lie origin story?

T+L: Having known each other since we were 11 years old, we’ve witnessed each other experience painful breakups, ranging from ex-boyfriends to ex-best friends. The expression “Boys Lie” stemmed in 2016, shortly after we had graduated college and moved back East. Both of us were single and going through major life changes as newly graduated individuals running around NYC. In early 2017, after one too many drinks, we ended up in a fire station screaming “Boys Lie” to the streets of NY. However, Boys Lie didn’t really start until 2018, oddly enough, as a cosmetic brand. Our first year was the most difficult. At the time, we were two young twenty-somethings who went back out to the West coast, convinced we’d be the next Kylie Cosmetics. We were so wrong. In mapping out the blueprint of our business, we aligned the structure of Boys Lie to match Pat Mcgrath’s. She had her cosmetic line with a few merch pieces, and we thought that was brilliant because you don’t need to know what the brand is to find a close color match to cosmetics. The merch (or our few apparel pieces) were really intentionally made to just get the name out there. After almost closing down shop and running out of funding, Gigi Hadid wore a Boys Lie sweatsuit out in public at the height of her breakup with Tyler Cameron. From there, the clothing part of the business exploded, and at that point, we knew we had to pivot to apparel… Then came COVID. We haven’t stopped working since. To give you a better view of the growth of Boys Lie, after pivoting to clothing, our first year we did about $250K in revenue, and our second year, we did $5M+. Since the earlier years we’ve invested time into expanding the brand into a lifestyle brand.

Boys Lie was started out of heartbreak and now empowers individuals to embrace self-love and independence. How do you portray such a strong story and community through clothing?

T: Boys Lie started out of heartbreak and those who embrace it are willing to wear their heart on their sleeves like us. It didn’t take long for Leah and I to build an audience when we acquired the IG handle. Most people didn’t even know we would be selling Boys Lie products. We started it as just a moodboard and meme account.

L: Everyone has their own unique heartbreak story, whether it be with a partner, a family member, or a best friend. Our brand DNA is very strong, and the designs are a representation of that. We have created a cult following and a community of people learning how to heal by wearing our brand.

When was your first ‘pinch-me’ moment when you realised you had a successful fashion brand?

L: The ‘pinch-me’ moment was when we made Forbes 30 under 30, Art and Style, 2021. This milestone marked not just our success as founders, but also a significant triumph for our brand. When I was first moving out to California to start Boys Lie with Tori, there was a long period of time (pre-launch) where no one believed Boys Lie would be successful. It seemed as though many, including some of my closest friends, anticipated our failure. Unfortunately for them, that only added more fuel to the fire because there was never a single doubt in my mind that we wouldn’t be successful. While some might consider this type of confidence delusional, manifestation is real. If you do not wholeheartedly believe in what you are doing it will never work out in your favor. The Forbes recognition felt like validation for the countless hours of hard work and dedication poured into our brand. It’s funny when the people who doubted you from the start are now the ones coming around with a “congratulations” and then asking for free clothes.

T: My “pinch me” moment occurred this year at the People’s Choice Awards. Leah and I were covering Instagram stories for Galore Magazine on the carpet, where we had the opportunity to meet Alix Earle. Alix was incredibly sweet, and she said, ‘My first job was at a boutique, and I would literally spend all of my paycheck(s) on Boys Lie. That was my designer brand.’ Although we’ve been playing in this industry for 5 years now, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I often struggle with imposter syndrome, and being present can be challenging for me. I was genuinely amazed that, of all people, one of the most followed on TikTok not only validated being a fan of the brand but also saved up her own money to support it. That moment in time truly meant the world to me.

Since 2019, you have accumulated an organic A-list fan-base including Kylie Jenner, Zendaya, Dua Lipa, Vanessa Hudgens, Madelyn Cline, Megan Fox, Ariana Grande, and more. How has the power of celebrity impacted your growth?

T+L: There have been plenty of incredible moments when celebrities have stepped out wearing Boys Lie, but two really important ones stand out for our growth. In October 2019, Gigi Hadid stepped out wearing the ‘Boys Lie, Goodbye’ set at the height of her breakup with Tyler Cameron. We had only been in business for about a year at this point and this was our first viral press moment! The ‘Boys Lie, Goodbye’ set is still one of our top selling graphics to this day. The second significant celebrity moment occurred last year when Ariana Madix wore ‘1-800-Boys-Lie’ while entering the set of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules, Season 10 reunion. For those of you who don’t know, Ariana Madix was betrayed by her partner of 10 years who cheated on her with her best friend. The scandal, dubbed ‘Scandovol’ dominated headlines and was covered by numerous media outlets, including The New York Times and CNN. The impact this had on the brand was absolutely crazy. We sold out of the 1-800 set on the same day that the photos came out and two weeks later, we got an email from a Nordstrom buyer who discovered us through Madix. Nordstroms put in a purchase order the following week and now they are one of our biggest major retailers.

Your LA-bred brand has crossed continents, gaining traction in the UK. How have you shifted your approach to encompass UK audiences?

T+L: What better way to gain traction than to be ourselves? The Boys Lie brand formula hasn’t changed. We never approached the business model of adding in ambassador programs or paying to play. We’ve always remained true to the DNA. The approach to the UK will be the same. This shows even with the UK influencers we’ve had as guests on the Boys Lie podcast, like GK Barry. The only minor difference is, in working with new retailers from a different country, we’d allow exclusivity on specific collections for the UK stores than what we offer in our DTC store or to our retailers in the US.

The UK fashion industry excels at uplifting young designers, taking risks, and innovating for next-gen audiences. How does the Boys Lie ethos align with these industry values?

T: I believe this ethos clearly aligns with what Leah and I have created because building a brand in today’s age isn’t just about the designer. It’s about creating a bridge between the product and its consumer, evoking emotion and eliciting a reaction, ensuring a strong operational backbone, managing product rollouts and merchandising, and delivering it all simultaneously. Realistically, what makes us most relate, is understanding that building a brand is like a rodeo mixed with a juggling act. The UK has produced some of the greatest designers and brand builders of our time, just look at the Antwerp Six. Being fans of them has taught me valuable lessons about breaking boundaries within our own lane. One of the keys to success is evaluating what we’ve created and challenging each other by asking, “how can we make this better?”

L: Not to be funny but “retweet”, Tori.

What have been the three most important lessons you both have learned about being successful across both markets?

T+L: Don’t make the same mistake twice; always trust your gut and don’t compare yourself to others. And most importantly, in the wise words of Penny Lane, ‘If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt; if you never get hurt, you always have fun; and if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends.’ Sorry, that might be 4 important lessons!

How do both of your personal styles influence the brand identity? What are the main similarities and differences between you two as brand leaders?

T: Oh my gosh, our styles are surprisingly, incredibly different. I believe mine is entirely driven by my mood, which influences my approach to designing for the brand. This might imply that I’m somewhat temperamental, which can be viewed by the wide range of graphics we’ve released. I have a strong affinity for high fashion, which I think is a major point of distinction between us. Le tends to quickly gravitate towards more impulsive purchases, while I fixate on select pieces. Ironically from an outside perspective looking in, it always seems like we’re on the same fashion wavelength, as there have been many times where we both show up to work wearing the exact same Boys Lie outfit.

Your eponymous podcast facilities meaningful conversations around the brand’s history and topics of heartbreak, healing, self-love and more. How has starting the podcast impacted both the brand, and yourselves as founders?

L: The podcast has also become an incredible outlet not only for Tori and me, but also for our customers. We anonymously read heartbreak stories submitted by our listeners to give feedback on or even share similar situations that we went through. The podcast gives Boys Lie as a voice, not just from us as the face but from our community. Our customers/followers are our family. We value their stories because they’re the driving force behind Boys Lie and the podcast is just another way to stay connected to them, while also giving them a role in the brand. Since starting the podcast, we have converted customers into listeners and listeners into customers. It’s only helping the business grow because it’s reaching more people through a different platform. I think people find a lot of comfort in knowing that they are not alone in whatever they have gone through or are going through. I mean, I too feel comfort in that.

You’ve been on a growth trajectory since the start and aren’t showing signs of slowing down. What’s next for the Boys Lie UK expansion?

T+L: We have finally found ourselves ready to explore other territories and we thought, “Why not start in one of our favorite countries?” When Boys Lie was in its brainstorming/incubation phase, Leah and I were actually in London for a football game. (The American type of football- Go Birds!). We were visiting for less than a week and it was a short windowed opportunity to see many of London’s most notable historic sites. During our visit, we were in an upward battle between balancing out our screen time and exploring. Thankfully, on our way to Stonehenge we were on a tour bus with wifi or we would have achieved absolutely nothing. This is probably the worst explanation for expanding the brand into London but it’s the most true.