Cassey Ho initiated her YouTube channel to keep teaching her Pilates class on the west coast of the U.S. after moving to the east coast. She anticipated her video would only reach her 40 students, but it ended up attracting thousands.
Fast forward sixteen years, Ho now runs the direct-to-consumer brand Pop Flex, has a clothing line available in Target stores, and boasts 10.8 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, Blogilates. How did she transition from a successful YouTube career to running two companies? By tuning into her audience’s feedback.
“People were saying, ‘Cassey, I want a shirt with Blogilates on it,’ and I thought, ‘Why would you want to wear a shirt with my screen name? That’s so odd,'” Ho remarked during her fireside chat at VidCon 2025.
However, after consulting with her screen printer, she took action. This method continues to be vital to her approach — it’s typical to see Ho’s YouTube Shorts or TikToks displaying a design she crafted in response to comments seeking solutions in the fitness apparel industry.
She invites commenters to voice their preferences for activewear. During her chat, she even encouraged the VidCon audience to chat with her post-event about clothing concerns.
“What motivates me are challenges…because there’s no point in designing something that already exists — what a waste of effort,” she stated. “So when I’m choosing fabrics, [wondering] does it need a pocket, does it need this seam — all these particulars. When I actually do this, I’m thinking about that video I’m going to create in two years, so I already have my discussion points prepared.”
The shift from creating content to designing apparel felt seamless for Ho. She had always aspired to be a designer. Yet, as her channel expanded and she engaged in more brand partnerships, she found herself empathizing with commenters who accused her of selling out.
“I became quite frustrated with brand deals because people dictate how to sell, what to say, and it can often feel very insincere,” she mentioned. “Promoting my own brand felt like an internal brand partnership and it turned out to be good content as well.”
With her success, brands such as Shein and Nordstrom have reproduced her designs. Most notably, Shein copied the design of a Pop Flex skirt after Taylor Swift shared a photo of herself wearing it on Instagram. This led Cassey to seek a patent. Now, with her design patented, she has contested 2,065 duplicate listings of the skirt.
“I’m like a little David taking on multiple Goliaths,” Ho expressed. “Some folks tell me, ‘Cassey, stop concentrating on that. Direct your energy toward design.’ Yes, but the reason I fight is not just for myself. I’m grateful to have a platform to voice my concerns. Many small independent designers lack that, so if I can achieve this for myself, I’m doing it for all the other independent artists out there.”