From Single Mom to Millionaire Mogul

BEHIND THE METEORIC RISE OF ONE OF THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY’S BRIGHTEST STARS

- GILLIAN TELLING

Long before her name became synonymous with colorful stones and accessible luxury, Kendra Scott was a 19-year-old college student guided by empathy and instinct. Her first business idea didn’t come from a design studio but from time spent at MD Anderson Cancer Center. “My stepfather had brain cancer, and I was there with him constantly,” recalls Scott, now 51. Watching patients endure chemotherapy, she noticed many struggling with the cold after losing their hair: “I decided I wanted to create headwear for men and women going through chemo.” Scott dropped out of college and opened a small Austin shop called the Hat Box, convinced it was the start of something big. “I really thought I’d be opening hat stores all over the world,” she says. “The truth is, no one was wearing hats.”