They couldn’t afford Kendall Jenner, so they went to her friends!

13 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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In this UBU‑style entrepreneurial short, Dan Novaes tells the story of Aaron Dearing and Craig Ellis, the founders of Triangle, a bold neoprene swimwear brand that filled a market gap between cheap bikinis and overpriced designer pieces. Rather than trying to secure Kendall Jenner directly, they sent free swimsuits to members of her inner circle—Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber—who posted casually on social media. Their posts caught Kendall’s eye, prompting her to reach out and post about the brand herself. Within moments, Triangle’s sales jumped from a single unit a day to thousands, eventually scaling to a $200 million valuation. Novaes frames this as an early example of product‑seeding, a tactic now common among major brands, and distills the lesson: target the network around a top influencer, let organic demand drive the brand, and avoid chasing the celebrity directly.

Chapters

They couldn't afford Kendall Jenner, so they hacked their way in for free and built a $200 million brand. Meet Aaron Dearing and Craig Ellis. They started Triangle after spotting a gap: cheap bikinis or overpriced designer, nothing in between. So they created bold neoprene swimsuits, instantly recognizable. But here's the genius move: instead of chasing Kendall directly, they sent free bikinis to her circle—Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber. Back then, small followings. They wore the bikinis, posted casually. That got Kendall's attention. She reached out. One post later, Sales exploded from one a day to thousands. That strategy? Product seeding. Now used by everyone, from Nike to startups. Lesson: Don't chase the top. Influence the circle around them, and let demand pull you in. For more entrepreneurial stories and information like this, follow UBK.