Buttoned Up

Geoff Argue's entrepreneurial — and sartorial — dreams were trapped inside a sweater for years.

Argue worked his way up in the women's fashion industry, first in New York City gigs with brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Ann Taylor and Coldwater Creek. In 2010, Argue was recruited for a job at Fort Myers-based women's retailer Chico's FAS. He ran women's knits with Chico's, one of the largest departments in the $2.47 billion company.

“I had the standard corporate life, but I always wanted to have my own brand,” Argue says. “I understood I needed to check off a lot of boxes first.”