Fitness apparel has become one of the most competitive markets in retail. Brothers Gurmer and Robby Chopra own YoungLA, the brand that started with random eBay sales and now generates over $100 million in annual revenue. What makes their story different isn’t just the numbers—it’s how they built something authentic in an industry crowded with established giants.
The Chopra brothers didn’t follow the typical startup playbook. Instead of seeking investors or loans, they bootstrapped their entire operation. Since launching in 2014, they’ve grown YoungLA to employ over 150 people while building a community that most brands can only dream of. Their influencer network spans 125+ creators who drive 12% of quarterly growth, and their annual Block Party draws over 15,000 attendees from across the country.
The numbers tell an impressive story. YoungLA’s Earned Media Value hit $15.5 million in Q2 2022 alone—surpassing Under Armour and Reebok during that same period. But behind those metrics is a simpler truth: two brothers who identified a gap in men’s fitness wear and decided to fill it themselves.
You’ll discover how the Chopras went from selling Tupac shirts in a 1,200-square-foot warehouse to partnering with UFC champions like Sean O’Malley and Jon Jones. Their journey shows what’s possible when you understand your market, stay close to your customers, and refuse to compromise on the details that matter.
Who owns YoungLA? Meet the founders behind the brand
YoungLA is wholly owned by brothers Gurmer and Robby Chopra, who co-founded the fitness apparel brand in 2014. The duo maintains complete ownership of the company, having reinvested their initial profits to fuel expansion rather than seeking outside investment.
The Chopra brothers: Gurmer and Robby
Gurmer Chopra serves as CEO, handling strategic direction and operations, while Robby (also known as Dashmeet) Chopra works as COO, managing product development and supply chain logistics. Both brothers grew up in Los Angeles, surrounded by the city’s fitness culture from an early age. Gurmer graduated from UC Santa Barbara, and Robby earned his degree from Cal State Northridge.
Fitness wasn’t just a hobby for them—it shaped how they saw the world. They played various sports growing up and developed a serious interest in weightlifting and bodybuilding. This background would prove essential when they later needed to understand what their customers actually wanted from their workout gear.
From corporate jobs to entrepreneurship
After graduation, both brothers took the expected path and landed corporate jobs. But coming from a family of businessmen, they always had entrepreneurial ambitions. In 2014, they decided to test the e-commerce waters, selling random products on eBay and Amazon under the YoungLA name.
Here’s where things got interesting. Through these early experiments, they noticed something—men’s fitness apparel consistently showed strong demand. That observation would completely change their business direction.
Why they started YoungLA
The brothers spotted a clear gap in the men’s fitness apparel market. “With the explosion of brands like Lululemon and Fabletics, we noticed that the market wasn’t targeting men,” Gurmer explained. “There weren’t a lot of options for men in terms of comfortable athleisure wear at the time. It was either street clothes or gym clothes. There was no in-between”.
They wanted to create clothing that worked in both worlds—gear that performed during workouts but looked good enough for everyday wear. And they were determined to keep it affordable without cutting corners on quality.
Rather than seeking loans or investors, the brothers bootstrapped everything, putting all profits back into YoungLA. This approach let them keep complete control over their brand’s direction and values.
How YoungLA started: From eBay experiments to fitness empire
Most successful businesses don’t start with a clear vision. YoungLA certainly didn’t.
The Chopra brothers began their entrepreneurial journey in 2014 with a simple 1,200-square-foot warehouse that cost them $1,200 monthly in rent. They weren’t selling fitness apparel—they were testing whatever seemed to have potential. Tupac and Biggie shirts, Vans sneakers, Converse shoes. Anything that might turn a profit on eBay and Amazon.
“We used to sell Tupac shirts and do dumb stuff back then. YoungLA wasn’t even really a thing,” Robby recalls about their early days.
The eBay and Amazon testing phase
Amazon orders kept the lights on, but website sales created something different. Every time they heard that Shopify notification sound, the entire team would celebrate. “We would get orders on Amazon and it was good, that was paying the bills, but we would get an order on our website and hear that ‘ching’ on Shopify and the whole office would just be like ‘all right, let’s go!'” Robby explained.
During this experimental phase, they started noticing patterns in their sales data. Men’s fitness apparel consistently outperformed other products. While they were selling random merchandise, one category kept showing stronger demand than everything else.
Spotting the market opportunity
The brothers recognized something important happening in the fitness apparel space. Women had options like Lululemon and Fabletics, but men were stuck between two extremes.
“With the explosion of brands like Lululemon and Fabletics, we noticed that the market wasn’t targeting men,” Gurmer explained. “There weren’t a lot of options for men in terms of comfortable athleisure wear at the time. It was either street clothes or gym clothes. There was no in-between”.
This observation became their business foundation: create affordable, high-quality fitness apparel specifically for men who wanted something that worked at the gym and looked good everywhere else.
Building the YoungLA website
When they launched their official website, expectations were modest. “Our goal back then was ‘if we can get 10 orders a day on our website, life will be good,'” Robby remembers.
They funded everything themselves. No investors, no loans, no outside help. “With absolutely no financial help, they have grown YoungLA hiring 27 employees and partnering with 25 athletes,” noted an industry report in 2020. This bootstrap approach meant they controlled every decision.
Then 2020 changed everything. “2020 was a big year for YoungLA… with everything that happened in the world, people were online shopping even more, so things took off real hard,” Robby acknowledged. They quickly outgrew their original space, moving to a 10,000-square-foot warehouse with dedicated areas for product development.
What started as random product experiments had become a focused fitness apparel business with clear direction and growing momentum.
What makes YoungLA different from other fitness brands
The fitness apparel market is crowded with options, but YoungLA has found its own lane. The Chopra brothers didn’t try to compete directly with established giants. Instead, they identified specific problems that weren’t being solved and built their entire business around addressing them.
Quality without the premium price tag
YoungLA positions itself in the sweet spot between affordability and quality. Hoodies range from $40-$55, while shirts cost $15-$30. Their philosophy is straightforward: “luxury doesn’t have to be expensive, nor should you have to pay more to get better quality apparel”.
This approach sets them apart in a market where premium often means expensive. They create high-quality clothing at a fraction of typical fitness brand costs, proving you don’t need to choose between your budget and your standards.
Bridging the style gap
The brothers spotted something important early on. Men’s athletic wear fell into two categories—either gym clothes or street clothes. “There was no in-between”.
YoungLA filled that void. Their products “transition seamlessly from the gym to everyday life”, combining performance features with style that works outside the gym. You can wear their gear during an intense workout and still look put-together for errands afterward.
Testing everything before it reaches customers
YoungLA’s development process starts with a simple principle: they won’t sell anything they wouldn’t wear themselves.
Their product cycle “starts with an idea and transforms into a product that goes through several quality checks including us wearing and testing it ourselves for a long period of time”. They spend “at least two months testing the clothing before releasing it”.
This attention to detail shows up in the final products. When you’re investing your own time testing every piece, quality becomes personal.
Building authentic relationships
Beyond product quality, YoungLA focuses on genuine connections with their community. As one fitness influencer explained, he “love[d] how they take care of their athletes and style their apparel”.
This approach creates loyalty that goes deeper than typical brand partnerships. When people feel valued and supported, they become advocates rather than just customers.
The role of influencers, athletes, and events in YoungLA’s growth
Community building drives everything at YoungLA. The Chopra brothers understood early that fitness is inherently social. People want to connect with others who share their goals, follow athletes who inspire them, and feel part of something bigger than just buying clothes. This insight shaped their entire growth strategy.
Affiliate marketing and social media strategy
YoungLA’s influencer network operates on a simple principle: if you genuinely use and love the products, you can earn from promoting them. Their affiliate program offers 10% commission on sales through unique discount codes, creating authentic partnerships rather than one-off sponsored posts.
The numbers reflect this authentic approach. With 2.5 million followers across platforms—750,000 on Instagram, 650,000 on TikTok, and 1.1 million on YouTube—YoungLA built an audience that actually engages. Their content strategy generates roughly 3,000 pieces of user-generated content monthly, showing genuine customers wearing their gear in real workouts and everyday situations.
Celebrity endorsements and athlete partnerships
High-profile partnerships came naturally as the brand grew. UFC champions Sean O’Malley and Jon Jones now represent YoungLA, alongside fitness personalities like Bradley Martyn and Mike Thurston. These aren’t just paid endorsements—these athletes genuinely wear YoungLA products during training and competition.
The brand maintains relationships with approximately 175 athletes and bodybuilders who regularly showcase their products. This creates a constant stream of authentic content from people who understand the demands of serious training.
The Block Party and other brand events
YoungLA’s annual Block Party attracts over 15,000 people from across the United States. It’s part fitness expo, part music festival, and part community celebration. The event costs significant money to produce, but it serves a purpose beyond marketing—it gives the YoungLA community a place to meet in person.
Throughout the year, the company organizes smaller gatherings and pop-up events. These connections matter because they turn customers into advocates and advocates into lasting community members.
Earned media value and brand visibility
The results speak for themselves. YoungLA’s approach generated $15.5 million in Earned Media Value during Q2 2022 alone—outperforming Under Armour and Reebok in the same period. This metric measures the value of organic mentions, shares, and content creation that would otherwise require paid advertising to achieve.
What makes this impressive isn’t just the number—it’s how they achieved it. Instead of paying for expensive celebrity campaigns or mass advertising, the Chopras built genuine relationships with people who authentically connect with their brand.
Building a fitness empire from the ground up
Gurmer and Robby Chopra own YoungLA—a fact that hasn’t changed since they started selling random items on eBay in 2014. What has changed is everything else.
The brothers built their fitness apparel company the hard way, without investors or loans. They tested products, listened to customers, and reinvested every dollar back into the business. Their approach worked. YoungLA now generates over $100 million annually while employing more than 150 people.
The Chopras understood something important about their market: men needed athletic wear that worked both in the gym and out. They filled that gap with products that cost less than premium competitors but didn’t compromise on quality. Their two-month testing process for every product launch shows they take that seriously.
Community building became their competitive advantage. While other brands focus on traditional advertising, YoungLA built relationships—125+ influencers, partnerships with UFC champions, and an annual Block Party that draws 15,000+ people. The results speak for themselves: $15.5 million in Earned Media Value in a single quarter, outperforming Under Armour and Reebok.
Most importantly, they kept control. Bootstrapping meant slower growth initially, but it allowed them to stay true to their vision and build the company they wanted.
YoungLA’s story shows what’s possible when you identify a real market need and commit to serving it well. The brothers proved you don’t need venture capital to scale—you need to understand your customers, create products they actually want, and build genuine community around your brand.
Now that you understand how YoungLA built their fitness empire, you can see why their approach continues to drive growth as they expand globally in 2024.
FAQs
Q1. Who are the founders of YoungLA?
YoungLA was founded by brothers Gurmer and Robby Chopra. Gurmer serves as the CEO, overseeing strategic direction and operations, while Robby (also known as Dashmeet) functions as COO, managing product development and supply chain logistics.
Q2. How did YoungLA start?
YoungLA began in 2014 when the Chopra brothers started experimenting with selling various products on eBay and Amazon. They noticed a strong demand for men’s fitness apparel and identified a gap in the market, which led them to focus on creating affordable, high-quality gym wear for men.
Q3. What makes YoungLA different from other fitness apparel brands?
YoungLA stands out by offering affordable yet premium quality apparel that combines gym functionality with everyday style. They also have a rigorous product testing process and have built a strong community through influencer partnerships and events like their annual Block Party.
Q4. How has influencer marketing contributed to YoungLA’s growth?
Influencer marketing has been crucial to YoungLA’s success. The brand has built a network of over 125 influencers, partnered with UFC champions, and hosts events that attract thousands of attendees. This strategy has helped them achieve significant earned media value and brand visibility.
Q5. Is YoungLA a privately owned company?
Yes, YoungLA is a privately owned company. The Chopra brothers have maintained complete ownership of the brand since its inception, choosing to reinvest profits for growth rather than seeking outside investment.