Sonnet James update

Sonnet James Update | Shark Tank Season 10

ByAndrew Smith

Whitney Lundeen couldn’t play freely with her young sons without ruining her nice dresses. She needed clothes that looked good but could also handle dirt, spills, and rough play. That led her to create Sonnet James, a line of stylish, stretchy, machine-washable dresses made specifically for moms with active kids. Will any of the sharks help her style up a deal? Find out in our Sonnet James update and pitch recap.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to Sonnet James after Shark Tank.

Whitney appeared on Shark Tank Season 10, seeking $350,000 for 25% equity in her clothing company. After her pitch, she went on to get a deal with guest shark Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. Sara gave her $350,000 for 25% equity, exactly what Whitney asked for.

In terms of a Sonnet James update, the company grew to over $6 million in sales by 2022, showing strong growth. However, in August 2023, the company went out of business, as Whitney wanted to prioritise her health and family.

Shark:Result:
Sara Blakely Accepted deal for $350,000 for 25% equity
Kevin O’LearyNo offer
Mark CubanNo offer
Barbara CorcoranNo offer
Lori Greiner No offer

Shark Tank Sonnet James Pitch

Shark Tank Sonnet James update
  • Entrepreneur: Whitney Lundeen
  • Business: Stylish Dresses For Moms
  • Ask: $350,000 for 25% equity
  • Result: $350,000 for 25% equity
  • Shark: Sara Blakely

Whitney brought her women’s clothing brand to Shark Tank, valuing it at $1.4 million.

She introduced herself as a single mother who created a line of machine-washable, stylish dresses designed for moms who want to look beautiful while staying active with their kids.

She explained that typical dresses weren’t practical for playtime, often resulting in expensive dry cleaning bills.

Sonnet James solved that by offering durable, flexible dresses that hold their shape and resist stains—perfect for moms who want an alternative to yoga pants.

Each piece is designed by Whitney herself and produced locally in California.

A typical customer orders two dresses per purchase. Each dress costs $34 to make and sells for an average of $138, giving her a 75% margin.

As Whitney shared her journey, Lori Greiner complimented the quality of the fabric. Barbara Corcoran noted the dresses didn’t lose shape when stretched.

Barbara and Lori followed up by asking where she sold the dresses, and Whitney confirmed all sales were made through her website.

Whitney said she launched five years earlier with $84,000 in her first year. In the most recent year, she reached $1.2 million in sales. She added that her return customer rate was 43%.

Mark Cuban asked about profitability. Whitney said she was doing okay financially but admitted her net profit was only around 8–10%.

She paid herself $70,000 annually. Kevin O’Leary criticised the thin profit, saying $100,000 net on $1.2 million wasn’t great. Mark disagreed, calling it solid for her stage.

Guest shark Sara Blakely then asked about Whitney’s background. Whitney opened up about becoming a mom at 22, later becoming a single parent, and starting the brand from scratch.

She had no fashion or business experience but taught herself how to sew and build a website.

When a mom blogger featured her site, she received 150 orders in two days and almost shut down from panic.

Instead, her brother encouraged her, and she moved to Los Angeles, found local designers, and got help to build the brand.

Whitney also shared a deeply personal story about her difficult childhood and said she created the dresses as a reminder to be the kind of mother she wished she had.

Almost all of the sharks were moved by Whitney’s personal childhood story of overcoming abuse, but Kevin raised some concerns about the valuation.

Whitney believed the company could eventually reach a $100 million valuation.

Kevin was skeptical and warned about customer churn, but Whitney cited her strong 23% repeat customer rate, which was below the industry average.

However, Sara made the exact offer Whitney requested, $350,000 for 25% equity, saying she loved backing female entrepreneurs.

Whitney quickly accepted the offer, which means she received exactly what she was asking for when coming on Shark Tank.

Did Sara and Whitney’s partnership bring further success to the brand? Keep reading our Sonnet James update to find out.

Shark Tank Sonnet James Update

Our Sonnet James update found that after officially closing a deal with Sara Blakely on Shark Tank, sales jumped, pushing revenue past $1.2 million by the end of that year.

In 2022, the company reached around $6 million in annual sales.

However, our Sonnet James update found that things took a turn in late 2023 when Whitney posted a video on Instagram announcing the company’s closure. She said she decided to focus on her health and family.

From that point, production stopped, and the brand began winding down. The website remained up briefly, selling leftover tote bags.

Sadly, this will be our final Sonnet James update.

You can check out our other company updates from Season 10 Episode 11 by following the links below!

Before you go, be sure to check out our list of all the Shark Tank Season 10 products.

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Andrew is a lifelong fan of Shark Tank and an entrepreneur at heart. He started Shark Tank Recap because he wanted a single place to track what happens to the companies, founders, and deals after they air on TV. With a sharp eye for business insights and a passion for all things Shark Tank, Andrew makes sure every recap is accurate, engaging, and fun.