Product Update

Is Young Ones Still in Business? (2026 Update)

Is Young Ones from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Young Ones today.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 29 April 20266 min read

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Young Ones is a rare Dragons' Den story where turning down the money and keeping control of the company is the whole reason it worked out. Two university students pitched their onesie brand in series 11 and are still running the business more than a decade later, just under a different name.

The Short Answer

Yes, the business behind Young Ones is still trading. Founders Chris Rea and Tom Carson went on to build the brand into what is now called Y1 Custom, a custom clothing business with a full team behind it, and it is still active today.

The Pitch

Rea and Carson founded Young Ones in 2012 while studying at Exeter, riding the onesie trend that was peaking in student culture at the time. They pitched in series 11, episode 6, in the Fashion & Beauty category, asking for £75,000 in exchange for 40 percent of the company, valuing the business at roughly £188,000.

The pitch landed while the founders were still in their final year of university, which is exactly the kind of scrappy, low-overhead, high-hustle story the Den tends to respond well to.

The Deal, and Why They Said No

They were offered £75,000 for the stake, the full ask. Rea and Carson turned it down. The reasoning they gave afterwards was about creative control rather than the money itself: they realised how much they cared about steering the brand's direction themselves, and giving up 40 percent felt like giving up too much of that.

It is a genuinely common pattern among younger founders on the show. The offer solves a cash problem, but it also introduces a partner with real influence over decisions the founders may not be ready to share.

What Happened After Filming

Without outside investment, Rea and Carson kept building. The onesie trend that launched the business eventually faded, but the underlying company evolved with it, moving into bespoke and custom apparel under the name Y1 Custom. The company has continued to grow its range of custom gear season after season, and now employs a dedicated team of 21 staff.

That longer arc, from a student side-hustle selling onesies to a proper custom clothing business with a real headcount, is a more interesting outcome than a straight yes on the Den would have produced.

Where Things Stand Now

To recap: Young Ones asked for £75,000 for 40 percent in series 11, was offered that exact deal, and the founders declined it after filming to keep control of the company.

If you are asking whether the business survived, it did, and then some. It is still trading today, now under the Y1 Custom name, with a team well beyond the two students who pitched it.

From Onesies to Custom Apparel

The pivot from onesies to bespoke custom clothing is worth flagging on its own, because it shows how a trend-driven product can turn into a durable business if the founders are willing to let the original idea go. Onesies were a genuinely huge student and gifting trend around the time Young Ones pitched, but trend-driven products have a shelf life, and the businesses that survive tend to be the ones that build a repeatable service underneath the trend rather than just riding it.

Y1 Custom's current focus on made-to-order apparel for teams, clubs and events is a much less fashion-dependent business model than novelty onesies ever were, which likely explains why it has kept growing years after the original trend cooled off.

Common Questions

Did Young Ones accept a deal on Dragons' Den? The founders were offered their full £75,000 ask for 40 percent, but declined it after filming to retain creative control.

Is Young Ones still trading? Yes, the company continues to operate under the name Y1 Custom, now with a team of 21 staff producing custom apparel.

Why did the founders turn the offer down? Chris Rea and Tom Carson said they realised how much they valued directing the brand's creative direction themselves.

What does the company sell now? Bespoke and custom apparel for teams, clubs and events under the Y1 Custom name, a broader offering than the onesies the business started with.

Where to buy Young Ones

Still selling as of 29 April 2026. Check today's price and availability.

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See the full Young Ones deal breakdown and term sheet →