How two dropouts built a global fashion brand
The story of how Alejandro and Bruno created Spain’s fastest-growing streetwear brand.
From a dorm room dream to trendsetting fashion
In just one year, Nude Project went from a university hustle to Spain’s fastest-growing streetwear brand. By 2023, it was bringing in $30 million in revenue, built from the ground up by two founders still in their mid-20s.
With Alejandro (Alex) Benlloch leading business operations and Bruno Casanovas bringing the creative spark, the pair bootstrapped Nude Project into “a clothing company and an attitude brand”.
Doing things differently from day one
Alex and Bruno met on social media, but the real connection kicked in when they studied together in Barcelona. With only $300 each, the duo started designing and producing t-shirts for their friends. Then hoodies. Then other garments. Merging art, fashion, and comfort, Alex and Bruno created clothes for everyday urban wear, and people wanted a piece.
“A streetwear fashion brand that represents us completely, with a style that we love, and we know how to sell.” - Alejandro Benlloch
But there was one thing more important than the clothes, and that was the content they created in the process.
Committed to ‘doing things differently’ from day one, Alex and Bruno made content ‘the main character’. Behind-the-scenes footage captured the Nude Project adventure, and storytelling became the beating heart of their growing community.
“We started making videos telling stories. It doesn’t matter the budget. The most important thing is the story that hopefully inspires people.” - Alejandro Benlloch
It worked. From $600 in their wallets, Alex and Bruno generated $630k in their first full year of sales. Revenue skyrocketed to $30 million in 2023. Nude Project now sells products online to 200 countries, and has seven stores, from the original site in Madrid to a spot in the “Mecca of fashion” — Milan.
Creating a billion-dollar brand with social media
Growing Nude Project without external investment was tough, but Alex and Bruno recognize that social media would be their best ally. The brand’s engagement strategy focuses on values — not on products or services. They’re big on the idea that fashion can be a powerful means of self-expression.
Nude Project is all about inspiring people to follow their passion and do what they love. This aura is the driving force behind the brand, and its socials are full of cool, interesting, ambitious people wearing NP pieces. The edgy designs and bold statements resonate perfectly with Gen Z’s sense of individuality.
But there’s also Nude Project laid bare, with candid branded content and footage showing “the stress, the online hate, the production nightmares”. The combination of ambition and imperfection captures what Alex and Bruno call ‘young energy’. Until Nude Project, very few fashion brands had found an authentic way to show both elements.
Plus, Bruno and Alex live and breathe the Nude Project way of life. People relate to that, especially now we’re in the era of the personal brand. Seeing “the people behind the brand” grows community, and the company now reaches over 1 million followers on both Instagram and TikTok.
"We're a clothing company but an attitude brand…we’ve tried to differentiate ourselves with this whole lifestyle around it…” - Alejandro Benlloch
‘Young energy’ is core to the whole company culture, including the highly successful ‘hype’ strategy ahead of product drops. But the lifestyle goes beyond demographics — Nude Project made Alejandro’s Grandma the star of their Milan store launch, and Madonna was seen rocking the brand in Barcelona.
The importance of mentors
The socials came naturally to Bruno and Alex. The business element — not so much. In the early days they even Googled “how do you start a company?” and quickly realized the importance of finding mentors. Bootstrapping the business saw Alex and Bruno work with experts from various backgrounds — including research, finance, and web development — to help “professionalise the company.“
“When you’re spending your own money, you watch very carefully how you spend it.” - Alejandro Benlloch
Working with mentors showed the duo the importance of different perspectives. This collaborative spirit is still huge today. After all “business is not an individual sport, it’s a team sport”. They aligned the Nude Project vision with other people’s dreams — a mindset that helped them grow to a team of over 100 full-time staff.
Being “obsessed” and overcoming obstacles
Curiosity, empathy, and constant hard work have helped Alex and Bruno build a global phenomenon. But passion plays a big part too. They say “you need to be obsessed with your project” if you want it to take off.
And when problems arise, Nude Project’s DNA is to be liquid and change. Young founders won’t always have the answer. But they can always try to learn. Alex and Bruno believe solutions will come if you “try to be excellent in your own world”.
“As long as you’re improving in yourself, I think you can be happy and focused” - Alejandro Benlloch
This mindset is at the heart of Nude Project’s rapid, roaring growth. It started with streetwear, but by aligning their entire brand with an ‘energy’, Alex and Bruno have their sights set on the “Nude Universe”. So far this covers a podcast, events, beer and a coffee shop. There’s plenty more on the horizon for this young business and its bold brand identity.
Media Press on Nude Project
CCMagazine - Interview with Bruno Casanovas
Fashion Network - Nude Project increases sales by 500%
L’officiel - Nude project collabs with Playboy
This weeks edition was written by Samuel Fletcher