Listen to the full conversation between Popflex Founder, CEO and Head Designer Cassey Ho and Fashionista Associate Editor Catie Pusateri on The Fashionista Network on Spotify.
While preparing to graduate with a degree in pre-med biology, Cassey Ho taught Pilates on the side and started a YouTube channel for her students called Blogilates in 2009. After unintentionally tapping into an online audience beyond her real-life students (Blogilates now boasts more than 11 million YouTube subscribers), Ho began designing her own activewear pieces to wear in her videos, and officially launched her label Popflex in 2016. A decade later, Popflex is one of the leading activewear brands in the space, known for viral designs like its Cloud Hoodie and Pirouette Skort.
In 2023, Shein took notice and duped Popflex’s Pirouette Skort, a sheer tiered skirt concealing inner shorts. In response, Ho successfully patented her design. Just over a year later, Taylor Swift wore the Popflex skort in her “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” music video; it sold out “in a matter of minutes,” according to Ho. With the patent, Ho was now able to protect the design against fast-fashion dupes that often arise when a product goes viral.
Photo: Courtesy of Popflex
“If I don’t fight to protect my design, people are just going to walk all over me,” Ho said during our conversation. “So it’s a lot of emotional energy to deal with this, but at the same time, by fighting for my design, I also speak up for other independent designers who may not have the platform to speak about these things that happen all the time, unfortunately.”
On The Fashionista Network, Ho also discussed solving for common activewear woes in her designs, testing Popflex’s sizing guide on real consumers, launching Blogilates for Target in 2025, repurposing fast-fashion dupes of her designs and more. Watch the full interview on YouTube below.
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