About Us
Nasty Gal is a global online destination for fashion-forward, free-thinking girls. In 2006, founder Sophia Amoruso started an eBay store selling a highly curated selection of vintage pieces. In just five short years, the shop has grown to become an international style source offering both new and vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories.
Who is a Nasty Gal? We like to think of her as the coolest girl in the room‚ pulling off whatever wildly unique piece that suits the mood. At Nasty Gal, we are our customer. Because of this, our job is an easy one: inspire and be inspired by cool girls the world over.
Our buyers search high and low for pieces you won't find anywhere else—be it from the Rose Bowl Flea Market or the racks at showrooms. Our shop is stocked weekly with both handpicked vintage and a highly curated selection of up-and-coming designers, giving you not just what the fashion doctor ordered, but truly unique items that can't be found elsewhere.
Don't know where to begin? Check out our looks in our easy-to-navigate shop, read our blog for interviews and special features, chat with us on Facebook or Twitter, or just lurk for an instant fix of style inspiration. Sign up for our newsletter for a weekly dose of the newest arrivals, lookbooks, style guides, special events and sales!
“It all ties into Sophia’s personality. It’s sexy,
rock and roll, but also down to earth.”
— Stacey, Stylist
Why Nasty Gal?
The name was inspired by the song and album “Nasty Gal.” Betty Davis, the patron saint of badass women, was known for her unapologetically sexy funk music which comprises our vision of femininity—complete with lamé platform thigh-high boots.
“Nasty Gal is inclusive, but also cool. A lot of companies
make the mistake of being one or the other.”
— Brett, Producer
Meet the founder
“Given Sophia Amoruso’s interests (she enjoys ‘a good Salade Niçoise, a sturdy pair of platforms, and twirling around the studio every so often while blasting disco’), and musings on her blog, you can tell the girl lives and breathes the Nasty Gal attitude and looks just like the girl she shops for.”
— BlackBook
Nasty Gal founder and owner Sophia Amoruso has always been somewhat of an explorer. As a kid, she spent countless hours discovering various treasures in a room full of random knick-knacks in her grandfather's motel. Ever a fan of the hunt, she loved that each item had a story imbuing it with a unique value that new stuff simply didn't have. As she grew up, that curiosity turned to wanderlust as she bounced from city to city working at photo labs and record stores, in search of new experiences, new people, and inspiration.
At the age of 22, Sophia settled in San Francisco and turned her love of vintage and her fantastic eye into the eBay store Nasty Gal Vintage. With only her killer instinct and intense passion for the project (along with a few hundred bucks), she moved out of the city and set up Nasty Gal's headquarters in her apartment. She did everything herself: mined for gems at Goodwill, shot & styled each look, wrote product descriptions, and did her best to spread the word online. Each week, her stock would spark bidding wars among tastemakers across the globe—from Australia all the way to New York. Soon she started asking friends for help. Eventually, those friends became employees. Nasty Gal moved into its own studio space and its own URL, leaving eBay in the dust to build what would become one of the most coveted fashion brands of our time.
Since Nasty Gal's humble beginnings, Sophia has brought on a passionate team of creative visionaries who love what they do, the company they work for, and the pitch-perfect fashion that can be found throughout the site. Sophia continues to be deeply involved with the design, buying, styling, and overall vision of the Nasty Gal brand, but loves most to meet the girls–the customers–that have inspired Nasty Gal to be what it is today.
Meet The Team
Christina
Buying DirectorQ: Where's your favorite place to eat in Los Angeles?
A: It's a four-way tie between a few places. 1) Lucy's El Adobe has amazing enchiladas and BBQ tacos. 2) The breakfast burrito at The Oaks Gourmet. 3) Jacqueline told me about Dino's Chicken and Burgers and it's amazing. 4) The food court at Mitsuwa Market has the best ramen in LA, hands down.
Sophia
Founder/CEOQ: What's your biggest vintage shopping secret?
A: Every October, thrift stores roll out their "costume" sections. They save the best, most avant-garde pieces for this time, thinking no one in their right mind would wear such things unless it were for Halloween! Last year I hit the jackpot with dripping armfuls of sequins, studs and shoulder pads.
Stacey & Nick
Stylist & Assistant StylistQ: Who is your ultimate style icon and why?
Stacey: My style icon changes every month or so. I become obsessed with a look, then O.D. on it-BUT, if I had to choose one ultimate style icon, which is very difficult for me, it would be David Bowie. Throughout the decades he was always cutting edge; yet no matter how extreme the looks, they were always elegant, cool, and timeless.
Jacqueline & Gobi
Shoe Buyer & Extreme MuppetQ: If you could only wear one shoe designer for the rest of your life, who would it be?
A: Jil Sander. The shoe construction is always fresh and forward thinking, but never unwearable. You can tell a lot of thought goes into every part of the shoe. The avant-garde heel, the sumptuous materials and the spot-on color palette... it's a never ending love affair.
Sarah & Sarah
Art Director & Graphic DesignerQ: Where do you look for inspiration?
A: Any and all things girls, French film, still life photography, punk rock ephemera, dollar store windows, raunchy magazines, California summers, '70s typography, YSL manifestos, patterns, the Internet, everything about New York City, minimalism, modernist architecture, fashion of course! Black and white, neutrals, things made in the USA, and the list goes on...
Liz
Vintage BuyerQ: What's your favorite vintage piece you own?
A: I've accumulated so much over the years, it's hard to say! It's a toss up between a '70s Pucci floral print dress, my Boy Landon t-shirt collection, Margiela lucite heels, a black and white '60s op-art silk dress and my Chanel jumpsuit. Oh—and a black 1930s silk velvet gown that looks like it is straight out of Daisy Buchanan's closet. Too many things!
“Stocked with some of the best treasures culled from all over the world, and featuring a kick-ass selection of contemporary designer duds, NastyGal.com is an online shopping destination that you need to bookmark and visit again and again.”
— Refinery29.com
