Ulla Johnson

Ulla Johnson is the eponymous founder and creative director of her womenswear label, a $100 million business anchored in artisanal hand-work, global craft supply chains and an independent operating model without outside venture capital or private equity backing.

Raised in Manhattan by archaeologist parents, Johnson developed an early focus on textile crafts during international travels throughout childhood. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1998 with dual degrees in psychology and women's studies, focusing her studies on fashion theory, before founding her label in New York that same year. From its inception, the house has partnered with female-led artisan groups in Peru, Kenya, India and Uruguay to produce hand-loomed textiles, embroidery and knitwear.

Johnson entered the official New York Fashion Week calendar with her Autumn/Winter 2017 collection and opened her first brick-and-mortar store on Bleecker Street in Manhattan that same year. Her direct retail network expanded to include Amagansett in 2019 and in West Hollywood in 2023, the latter designed in collaboration with Kelly Wearstler. In 2024 she opened a 2,000-square-foot flagship on Madison Avenue in New York.

Johnson also distributes her collections through more than 500 wholesale stores globally, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Net-a-Porter. In 2023, she launched the resale platform Ulla Johnson PreLoved with Archive and signed a global footwear licensing agreement with Italian manufacturing group HIM Co S.p.A.

In 2025, Johnson was named Designer of the Year by the American Apparel & Footwear Association.