Kendra Scott didn’t build a billion-dollar brand by trying to look like everyone else. She built it by embracing her past failures, capitalizing on what made her different and staying grounded in her values.
“My story is unique to me, and it's what has brought me here, and I should be proud of the things that I've accomplished in my life and not be afraid to share those things,” the jewelry mogul said to a room full of Horned Frogs when she visited the TCU campus.
Scott, the founder and chief creative officer of Kendra Scott LLC, was the featured guest at the John V. Roach Honors College’s annual Fogelson Honors Forum. For more than two decades, Roach Honors has hosted influential leaders who engage students, faculty, staff, and the Fort Worth community. The forum, founded through the generosity of E.E. “Buddy” Fogelson and Greer Garson, has featured renowned figures such as José Andrés, Amal Clooney, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
In the hour leading up to the forum, Scott sat down with a small group of Roach Honors students to share her journey and advice for the next generation of leaders. For many, the experience left a lasting impression.
“It's rare to see such an influential and successful person open up in front of an audience,” Isabella Rodriguez, first-year art history and communications studies major, said. “Unveiling a part of her past and story truly made me feel as though Kendra Scott is a genuine representation of her brand and message.”
Scott launched her jewelry business in 2002 with $500 in a spare bedroom of her Austin, Texas, home. Today, the company is valued at more than $1 billion and has nearly 160 stores, wholesale partners, including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Dillard's, and 850+ specialty boutiques. Her designs are known for their signature hexagonal “Elisa” shape and have appeared on several celebrities, including Katherine Heigl and Selena Gomez. Kendra Scott has also collaborated with several other notable brands and stars, most recently LoveShackFancy and Dolly Parton.
For Scott, it took some time to figure things out. Jewelry wasn’t her first business idea. Before launching her namesake brand, she created The Hat Box — a line of stylish, comfortable hats for women and men undergoing chemotherapy. The inspiration came at age 19 while caring for her stepfather, who was hospitalized for brain cancer.
“In that moment, everything that was important to me shifted,” Scott said. “I wanted to support him as much as I could. I loved fashion and design, and the headwear options out there for men and women who are experiencing hair loss were not great, and they weren't comfortable. So I started sewing cotton linings inside of hats, and I would give them to him and patients. All of a sudden, my love for fashion and design that I've had since I was a little girl had purpose.”
When The Hat Box closed years later, Scott didn’t see failure; she saw a chance to try again. She shifted her focus to creating jewelry full-time and building her brand.
“I say a lot to students, when you have a plan, be okay to pivot, and if something happens that doesn't go the way you thought it should, it's not a failure,” she said. “This is a lesson; this is a gift that is your bridge to get you to the next place you're going in your life. And so in those moments, take those, like, pebbles of knowledge and put them in your pocket because they're going to be useful, because something bigger, something better, something greater is waiting for you when you push through those doors of fear.”
Philanthropy has always been at the heart of Scott’s work, a commitment that mirrors the John V. Roach Honors College’s mission to create leaders who serve with integrity and purpose. Kendra Scott’s brand centers on family, fashion and philanthropy. Her mission to give back and empower women inspired programs like Kendra Cares and the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at UT Austin.
“Scott’s innovative approach to jewelry design revolutionized an industry, but what truly sets her apart is her conviction that business success must be paired with social responsibility,” said Ron Pitcock, Wassenich Family Dean of the John V. Roach Honors College. “She built a company culture where giving back isn't an afterthought — it's foundational. Kendra's journey demonstrates that character matters most and that excellence and compassion are not mutually exclusive — they are inseparable.”