Vanguard by Shopify Studios explores the human stories of entrepreneurship from unexpected corners of our current moment. Here’s a sneak peek of our second season.

Noah Kloeze is one of three worker-owners of Gender Gear, a collective that sells gender confirming products for trans and gender variant people. After an uncomfortable encounter at their physical location, the collective had to radically rethink their business. This is what happened.

Jerry Parrino is the owner of The Horror Dome. By the time he was 46, Jerry was burning out from a thankless day job. He decided to quit and bet everything on his dream of running a Halloween-based side business. How did he come to that decision?

Tamara Malas is the maker of a luxury plus womenswear collection offering clothes up to a size 32. Tamara was living the dream working in high-end fashion, but the body shaming and fatphobia of the industry was too much to bear. How did she recover from her trauma and launch a luxury clothing line for the truly plus?

Zainab Akhtar is the publisher of ShortBox, a mail order box for independent comic books. Zainab wanted to change the way independent comics were sold but as a visibly Muslim woman, her efforts were often dismissed. How did she enter a market designed to exclude her?

Arianna Gil is the cofounder of Brujas, a Bronx-based skate crew and streetwear brand dedicated to radical political action. But the politics behind their clothes are often overlooked by mainstream gatekeepers and too radical for social media. How do they get their message out?

Vanity is the cofounder of Wigs by Vanity, the makers of luxury synthetic lace front wigs for drag queens. Vanity quickly cornered the drag market, but her business was always a side hustle. What made her decide to go full-time?

Anne Ishii is the co-founder of MASSIVE GOODS, an agency and lifestyle brand featuring art from queer and feminist artists from Japan. In a single year, Anne suffered two tragic losses — any one of them would have destroyed her business. How did she survive the impossible?

Courtney Alexander is the maker of Dust II Onyx: A Melanated Tarot, a Tarot deck designed for a black audience. Dust II Onyx was an instant hit, but the emotional toll of success almost destroyed Courtney. Was it worth it?

Vanguard by Shopify Studios explores the human stories of entrepreneurship from unexpected corners of our current moment.