TURN MY HEARTBREAK INTO MONEY.

How do you turn your heartbreak onto its head? Ask founders of Boys Lie, Tori Robinson (she/her) and Leah O’Malley (she/her). The duo founded the streetwear brand after dealing with intense breakups and today, you can find everyone from Gigi Hadid to Ariana Grande spotted in their designs. Since its inception, they’ve expanded the biz through collabs with Urban Outfitters to a presence at Nordstrom, and now a podcast. Here, we spoke to the founders about turning painful moments into powerful ones, and the secrets to building a brand from the ground up.

What’s the story behind Boys Lie?
In the face of painful breakups, Boys Lie was born. As we both found solace in each other’s company, we coined the phrase “Boys Lie” as a daily mantra to uplift and move forward, leading to a unique and unbreakable bond. This experience inspired the creation of Boys Lie, not just as a clothing brand, but as a pop culture movement that promotes confidence and personal growth in the midst of heartbreak.

What drives your inspiration for new drops?
Our inspiration for new drops comes from a variety of sources. We are deeply connected with our community, valuing their stories and opinions. We like to involve our customers in being a part of the creative process—their insights play a crucial role in shaping our collections. Each collection also represents the different seasons of life that we go through together, and individually. Sometimes the seasons are filled with love, sometimes they are filled with chaos. Additionally, we keep a keen eye on trends, drawing inspiration from everyday experiences, memes, and relationship stories shared by our audience.

With streetwear constantly evolving, how do you keep your finger on the pulse?
Staying relevant in the dynamic streetwear scene requires constant vigilance. We engage closely with our audience, actively seeking their input and feedback. Our creative process involves monitoring current trends, pop culture, and fashion influences. This allows us to adapt and evolve our designs to resonate with the ever-changing preferences of our community. Sometimes we even like to bring back trends from earlier years that we believe will come back around.

We’ve seen everyone from influencers to celebrities decked out in Boys Lie. Would you say social media has contributed to your success? Or, how’d you get these public figures to notice the brand?
Social media has played a significant role in our success. When Covid hit, we never stopped working. We had more time at home to connect with our followers and engage with them on a daily basis, which helped us grow our brand. We were talking to our followers and community like they were our friends or family—it almost felt like we played the role of the “big sister,” especially when they came to us for advice. Our inclusive community and empowering message resonate with influencers and celebrities alike. Word of mouth, organic growth, and genuine connections with our audience have led to notable personalities embracing the brand. The authenticity of our message has been key in gaining recognition across social media platforms.

Anything else exciting in the works?
Absolutely! We’ve recently launched a podcast, where we delve into crazy relationship stories, trends, and pop culture. The podcast serves as an extension of the brand, a platform for our community to share their experiences, and heartbreak stories anonymously. We have this massive community of people who are learning how to heal. Sharing their stories will hopefully help others out there feel less alone and connected to shared experiences. Additionally, we have upcoming drops that we’re keeping under wraps for now. Stay tuned!