I did not stumble into this. I came into this world already knowing.
When Red Dress became fully formed in 2005, it felt less like a boutique launch and more like a long-awaited becoming. Baxter Street held its first racks and the early proof of a truth I had known since I was small: clothes can change how a woman feels in her own skin, and how she walks through her life. Her name created from one simple truth: as a child, the clothing I loved to wear more than anything else was a red dress.
When I was five, I wrote in a tiny, green diary that I would one day own a store with the prettiest dresses anyone had ever seen. I wanted a dance dress and my mother said no, and something in me decided that when I grew up, I would create what I wanted.
At seventeen, I wrote a letter to my father and told him exactly what I would do after college: I wanted to be a fashion designer. Not dream. Not maybe. Do.
Red Dress grew from that childhood certainty into a woman-owned heritage brand that now spans twenty years, thirty-plus brand labels across the United States and a community of women who return not because we are loud, but because we are consistent. We remain dedicated to cotton, linen, gauze and clothing meant to soften with time, not disintegrate with it. We do not chase fast fashion nor do we sell it. We honor the ritual of getting dressed as something tender, artistic and deeply personal.
Her story includes chevron dresses and bubble-necklace virality. It includes Shark Tank in 2014, when Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec affirmed what I already believed: quality can be accessible. It includes look books, growing teams, closing doors to open better ones, and the quiet joy of handwritten thank you notes slipped into boxes that travel farther than Athens ever imagined.
And now, 20 years later, her purpose becomes even clearer. It is her return. A woman does not need to be remade; she needs to feel safe in her softness again. She needs comfort that still feels beautiful, color that lifts without screaming, sweaters that feel like morning sunrise through curtains. She craves remembrance and nostalgia….of playful afternoons before self-consciousness, of ruffles and bows without apology, of liking pretty things without owing an explanation to anyone.
Red Dress meets her there. Two decades have passed and we remain rooted in that same intention. Our appearance on Shark Tank in 2014 affirmed this mission. At the time, most of our favorite pieces retailed under fifty dollars. Although our collections have grown and our labels expanded, our core promise has not changed. Quality should be attainable, honest and built to last.
We remain what we have always been: a store built by a girl who knew what beauty could do for the heart and by the woman she grew into. Who understands deeply how much beauty is needed in this world right now.
Red Dress is a place to discover pieces that last, that carry meaning and that allow you to feel like yourself. We are grateful to have grown with you and to continue dressing your days, both ordinary and extraordinary.
With love, Diana Athena Best and the Red Dress Family
Red Dress: Twenty Years of Us
September 15, 2005
The first brick-and-mortar storefront opened on Baxter Street in Athens, Georgia. A tiny shop filled with explosions of color, walls of denim and more red dresses than you could dream of in one small space.
2007
A second location opened in Augusta.
Red Dress began to reach more women, one bright rack at a time.
2008
We moved to College Avenue. Foot traffic exploded and women began to say, “I just needed to stop in today.”
Not for a dress, but for the feeling.
December 6, 2009
Our first website launched in December.
The world could finally shop Red Dress from home.
2010
Augusta closed.
The heart returned fully to Athens and to the online community that was beginning to explode.
2011
Our first look book catalog arrived.
A new way for customers to experience Red Dress through Diana’s story telling.
2012
A bib necklace accidentally went viral on Facebook.
We grew by more than one hundred percent in a single year and learned the power of community online. A year of overnight messages and learning how quickly joy can spread.
2013
We grew from six employees to twenty-six.
Chevron became a national moment and Red Dress dressed the world in pattern and optimism.
October 17, 2014
Red Dress appeared on Season Six of Shark Tank and received an offer of investment from Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec.
A national spotlight that reaffirmed what we already knew: Quality can be beautiful and still accessible.
2015
We expanded into home décor and lifestyle.
Beautiful spaces joined beautiful closets.
2017
A new website launched, followed by our first mobile-optimized experience.
Shopping became easier, faster, and more personal.
2018
Our in-house influencer program took off.
Women photographed, styled, shared and built a vibrant Red Dress community.
2019
We created Destination Red Dress and traveled to our favorite places.
2020
Our rainbow tie-dye loungewear and dresses became the unofficial home uniform of the year.
2022
Dream Drops launched in select cities across the country starting with Beverly Hills.
2024
Our third website launched.
Modern technology, elevated design and an experience built with two decades of learning.
September 15, 2025
Twenty years old.
We celebrated not just the clothes, but the women who wore them to work, to weddings, to first dates, to heartbreak, to joy.
Our first loyalty club was introduced, though the truth is many of you were fiercely loyal long before we ever named it.