the whole story · 1993 to now

a sTaCk oF pApEr, tHeN a vErY bIg sTaCk, tHeN nOnE fOr a wHiLe.

we started as a catalog mailed out of a walk-up. we ended up in five million mailboxes, a hundred malls, and on the wall of every third bedroom in america. then it stopped. anyway, we're here.

dOg-eAr eVeRyThInGsTiLl wEiRd. sTiLl hErE.
  1. dELiA*s 1993issue no. 01993tWo gUyS, oNe aPaRtMeNt

    1993 · issue no. 0

    tWo gUyS, oNe aPaRtMeNt

    stephen kahn and christopher edgar start a catalog out of a new york apartment. no store, no mall. the catalog is the store.

  2. dELiA*s 1994vol. 11994fIrSt iSsUe

    mar 1994 · vol. 1

    fIrSt iSsUe

    the first dELiA*s catalog goes out in march, passed hand to hand by college reps. first-year sales: $139,000. we thought that was a lot.

  3. dELiA*s 1996nasdaq1996DLIA

    dec 1996 · nasdaq

    DLIA

    the mailing list passes a million names. the company goes public. we were still opening the order slips ourselves.

  4. dELiA*s 1997the home one1997cOnTeNtS

    1997 · the home one

    cOnTeNtS

    a whole second catalog for your room. starry flannel sheets, butterfly chairs, and a lava lamp your parents regretted.

  5. dELiA*s 1998peak1998fIfTy-fIvE mIlLiOn

    1998 · peak

    fIfTy-fIvE mIlLiOn

    55 million catalogs a year. five million girls in the database. three to five thousand requests a day, every day, for two years. the mailbox was the internet.

  6. dELiA*s 1999white plains, ny1999a rEaL dOoR

    feb 1999 · white plains, ny

    a rEaL dOoR

    the first store opens in a mall in white plains, new york. you could finally touch the cargo pants before you bought them.

  7. dELiA*s 2003sold2003aLlOy

    sep 2003 · sold

    aLlOy

    sales slide. alloy, our loudest competitor, buys the company. the catalog keeps coming, a little quieter each time.

  8. dELiA*s 2014chapter 112014lIgHtS oFf

    dec 2014 · chapter 11

    lIgHtS oFf

    bankruptcy. ninety-five stores liquidated in a month. everyone kept the stickers.

  9. dELiA*s 2018dolls kill2018bAcK, lOuDeR

    nov 2018 · dolls kill

    bAcK, lOuDeR

    dolls kill brings dELiA*s back: seventy pieces, a party on fairfax ave, and a 1990s dream bedroom you could actually shop.

  10. dELiA*s 2026now2026tArGeT. a cAtAlOg. aGaIn.

    aug 23 2026 · now

    tArGeT. a cAtAlOg. aGaIn.

    a line at about 1,200 target stores, from $8. and an actual paper catalog, mailed out and handed over at the register. we never learned.

tHe cAtAlOg iS tHe sToRe. sTiLl.

wHeRe tO bUyfLiP tHrOuGh
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