Pumped Up

Indian immigrants Gurmer and Dashmeet Chopra started their careers reselling phone cases on eBay. Today, their fitness-inspired streetwear brand sells out every two weeks online—and is about to launch its first store

- By SIMONE MELVIN

In his sample room in Los Angeles, YoungLA co-founder Gurmer Chopra rolls a synthetic T-shirt between his fingers for a moment before letting it fall back into place on a wall of racks containing other unlaunched items from his 11-year-old activewear brand that brings in $176 million in annual revenue.

“I spend half of my day in here,” says Gurmer, wearing a Rolex Datejust and camo short sleeve from his brand. “Whatever we launch, I’ve tried every single piece on.”

Striking a balance between streetwear and athleisure, YoungLA also shares elements with larger apparel retailers Supreme and Gymshark. Founded in 2014 by Gurmer, 33, and his older brother Dashmeet, 37, the direct-to-consumer brand started off selling men’s gymwear before expanding more broadly into lifestyle clothing. Like New York City-based Supreme, YoungLA generates hype and urgency using a limited drop model for biweekly clothing releases (Supreme typically releases new collections once a week). The most prominent models on YoungLA’s website look like bodybuilders, many are fitness influencers who earn a commission promoting affiliate links—a hallmark of Gymshark’s UK-based business.

While both retailers outearn YoungLA—Gymshark and Supreme respectively brought in $780 million and $538 million in revenue in 2024—the Chopra brothers, who each own 50 percent of the company, have found steady success turning their activewear7 business into a lifestyle brand. Half of YoungLA’s annual revenue is now from sales of street clothing such as jeans and hats. The company’s growth has propelled it to finally cross into brick-and-mortar locations, with the brand readying to open its first store in Los Angeles.