Angela Simmons recently claimed that her sneaker brand Pastry once outsold Jordan Brand at Foot Locker. She made the comments during a sit-down with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay.
Simmons co-founded Pastry alongside her sister Vanessa in 2007, while both were still teenagers. The brand grew out of their time on the reality show Daddy's Girls.
According to Simmons, Pastry scaled from around $15 million in annual sales to $75 million during the show's run. She recalled getting the news that Pastry was outselling Jordan and not believing it at first.
Lines of over 3,000 people showed up at store appearances to buy shoes and get autographs. For a brand that launched with no outside backing, that kind of response was unexpected.
Simmons credited the brand's success partly to a gap in the market. She said there were very few women's sneakers actually designed by women at the time. Pastry filled that space with playful, dessert-themed colorways and packaging. Names like Red Velvet and Strawberry Shortcake helped the shoes stand out on shelves.
The brand eventually expanded into apparel and accessories before shifting toward performance dance footwear. Vanessa Simmons returned as creative director to lead that transition. Looking back, Angela described the whole run as a serious business education.
Angela Simmons Says Sneaker Brand Outsold Jordans
Pastry launched in 2007 at a time when women's sneaker options were limited. Most brands treated women's shoes as afterthoughts, often just smaller versions of men's styles. Pastry took a different approach by designing specifically for a female audience from the start.
The brand leaned into its dessert theme across everything from colorways to packaging. Early releases came in cake box-style boxes, and some versions included light scents. Colorways carried names like Chocolate Moose and Strawberry Shortcake, which matched the playful tone.
Reality television gave Pastry its first major boost in visibility. Daddy's Girls brought both sisters and the brand directly into people's homes. That exposure translated into real foot traffic at stores and strong early sales. Over time, Pastry shifted away from lifestyle footwear and toward a performance dance market instead.
