Here's What Went Down With KIN Apparel After Shark Tank

Before KIN Apparel was born, Philomina Kane was probably best known for her YouTube channel, Naturally­Philo. There, Kane regularly shared her best haircare advice with her 200,000 followers and quickly realized that the women of color her haircare advice was aimed at also needed products that would properly care for their locks. Kane came to the realization after she began putting silk scarves inside her hoodies to protect her hair. "Traditional hoodies are made with cotton and cotton absorbs the moisture in your hair, leaving it dry, frizzy. So, what we do is we line the hoods with satin. That does not strip your hair of moisture," she explained to ABC 7 in 2021, noting that her products contain nods to her family roots in Ghana.

KIN Apparel (which stands for Keeping it Naturally) actually began as a passion project for Kane in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and it became a quick success. But as the world started to reopen, Kane knew she'd need a little help to get the company where it needed to go. And so she took her business venture to the stars of "Shark Tank" in the hopes of getting an investment. 

Philomina Kane appeared on the premiere episode of "Shark Tank" Season 13, which aired in October 2021. The entrepreneur entered the tank asking for $200,000 in exchange for 10% of KIN Apparel, explaining the origins of her inclusive range of products. During her presentation, she grew emotional as she spoke about her decision to pursue her business dreams over going to Princeton University.

Kane then got into the numbers, which caught the attention of Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, as well as guest Shark Emma Grede. She revealed an impressive $246,000 in sales in her first year of operation, and added that she achieved $355,000 in sales in the first half of 2021. Kane explained that the big reason she needed a Shark was because she wanted to build her inventory so she no longer had to do so many pre-orders.

But despite being impressed, O'Leary admitted he couldn't invest because of previous failures with haircare products. Corcoran, meanwhile, complimented Kane's creativity, but admitted she thought working with Kane would be too much for her and expressed her disappointment she had to declare herself out. Cuban agreed and also dropped out. But while three sharks didn't have faith in the potential, that wasn't the case for Emma Grede. Impressed by Kane and her business, she expressed a desire to team up with Greiner but wanted 30% of the business for $300,000. After some back and forth on equity, Kane agreed to the 30% and struck a deal.

Though "Shark Tank" showed Philomina Kane striking a deal with Emma Grede and Lori Greiner, that's not actually what happened behind the scenes. "After due diligence [and] so much time had passed, literally nine months, I decided to only go with Emma," Kane explained to CNBC in July 2023. "Emma Grede is currently my investor for half the price [and] half the percentage. It was a decision I made just thinking about where I want to see my company and what makes sense," she added of Grade, who also invested in Alicia Scott and Myisha Fantroy's Range Beauty during her time on the show. But despite not landing on the deal she struck in the tank, Kane clearly had a great time on the business show. "It's like a dream come true," she told ABC 7 of appearing on the series.

Plus, KIN Apparel got the big sales bump so many companies see after appearing on "Shark Tank." Kane told Philadelphia Business Journal in October 2021 that the business received more than 1,000 orders following her segment airing on tv, with revenue doubling to $700,000 in just a few months. And that number only rose from there. Kin told Inc. that the company amassed a revenue of $1.3 million in 2021.

KIN Apparel is still very much in business as of December 2023 — and it's doing oh so well. Since appearing on "Shark Tank," the company has expanded its product collection and now offers everything from the original hoodie, to satin lined hats, and dresses via its website. Kane reflected on how far the business had come from its "Shark Tank" appearance in an October 2023 Instagram post celebrating two years since the episode aired. "The show propelled our growth, helped us invest in team members, and increased our capacity to develop innovative products! Above all, it exposed us to so many people, which grew the KINfolk!" the caption read. "Without y'all, we wouldn't be here today. Thank you for your continued support! Success is a journey and day by day, we are blessed to know that our community is active and so supportive!"

Not only is KIN still going strong, though, Kane herself is also seeing huge success. She was named on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for 2024, where it was revealed KIN expected to bring in a huge $3 million in 2023. Acknowledging the achievement on Instagram, Kane wrote, "I turned my attention to myself. I moved to a new area, got my creative juices flowing again, made new connections, attempted to get my driver's license, and hit some huge milestones with my team. Although some months were difficult, one thing I'm good at is persistence."

And it seems like Philomina Kane still has big things planned for her business. "'Shark Tank' was one of the best moments of my life. But there's still so much more to happen, and to do, if I want to see my company [reach new heights]," she told CNBC. And part of that is in giving back. In an Instagram post from September 2023, Kane shared her and her business' dedication to charity. "September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and we're back at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to donate our thick satin-lined kids hoodies," she shared, revealing her partnership with the hospital began back in 2021.

Outside of charity work, Kane is always looking for more investment to expand her company. In October 2023, Kane told Philadelphia Business Journal that she was looking for a further $2 million investment to keep the popular business expanding even more than it already has. She also revealed there was a familiar face in the investment pipeline, Pharrell Williams. In November 2023, Kane celebrated winning $75,000 in funding on LinkedIn via Williams' Black Ambition Prize. "Big $75k win for my brand KIN Apparel at Demo Day! Thank you Black Ambition," she captioned a post. "And thank you all so much for your continued support. We're just getting started."