Kristin Ruud

Kristin Ruud is the founder and CEO of Northern Classics, an outdoor clothing brand she launched in 2018 from Grand Rapids, Michigan, shortly after welcoming twins. She noticed a gap in kids' winter outerwear while shopping for her own children — coats that were either warm and bulky or stylish but practically useless in cold weather — and built Northern Classics to fill it. The company blends high-performance skiwear tech with timeless designs, selling through its own website and retailers including Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Maisonette, and Janie and Jack.

Ruud earned her MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and bootstrapped Northern Classics in its early years, focusing on direct-to-consumer sales before expanding into wholesale. By 2025, the company was approaching one million dollars in annual revenue, though it operates on a deeply seasonal rhythm — roughly ninety percent of sales fall between September and January.

The business sources almost exclusively from China, and tariffs have nearly doubled landed product costs. Ruud has responded by renegotiating with her factory and exploring alternative sourcing, while keeping overhead lean — she has not drawn a salary and runs the operation with two full-time employees.

Named to Crain's 40 Under 40 for her work building Northern Classics, Ruud is now weighing whether to expand into spring and summer categories or double down on winter outerwear and build a dominant position in that narrower market.