Pretty Little Windfall: Samsonite Is Buying 85% Of Shay Mitchell's Luggage Company At A $210 Million Valuation

Shay Mitchell is best known to millions of viewers as Emily Fields, one of the four main characters on the hit teen drama "Pretty Little Liars." Mitchell starred on the series for all seven seasons, from 2010 to 2017, alongside Lucy Hale, Troian Bellisario, and Ashley Benson. She later appeared in Netflix's "You," starred in Hulu's "Dollface," and continued building a career as an actress, producer, and social media personality.

But while acting made Shay famous, a side business she launched after "Pretty Little Liars" may end up being the biggest financial success of her career.

In 2018, Mitchell co-founded a luggage and travel accessories company called BÉIS. The name is a play on the word "beige." Mitchell has explained that she used to travel everywhere with a beige bag, and while looking for other ways to say/spell "beige," she arrived at BÉIS.

Eight years later, Samsonite has agreed to acquire 85% of BÉIS for $178.5 million in cash, valuing the company at $210 million.

That's quite a windfall for a company that began as Mitchell's attempt to solve a fairly simple problem: She wanted luggage that looked good, worked well, and didn't cost a fortune.

Mitchell has said she was frustrated by the travel products available to her. Some were stylish but impractical. Others were functional but expensive or boring. So she helped create the kinds of bags and suitcases she actually wanted to use herself.

The idea worked.

(Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for REVOLVE)

BÉIS grew from a celebrity-backed startup into a legitimate travel brand with a major following, particularly among younger female consumers. Its product lineup expanded from weekenders and travel bags into rolling luggage, backpacks, totes, accessories, and other travel products.

By 2025, BÉIS was generating approximately $210 million in annual net sales.

Now Samsonite wants in.

Under the announced deal, Samsonite will pay $178.5 million for an 85% stake in the company. BÉIS will continue operating as a standalone brand under the Samsonite umbrella, which already includes Tumi, American Tourister, High Sierra, and other luggage brands.

Mitchell isn't walking away, either.

She will retain a 15% stake in BÉIS and continue overseeing creative and product direction as the company's founder and head of creative and design.

And that's where the deal gets especially interesting from a personal-finance perspective.

Beach House Group, the brand incubator that helped launch BÉIS, owns 70% of the company and is selling its entire stake. That means Mitchell appears to have owned the remaining 30% before the transaction.

• At a $210 million valuation, a 30% stake is worth $63 million
• Mitchell is selling roughly half of that ownership, or about 15% of the company, which implies gross proceeds of around $31.5 million.
• She is then retaining another 15%, which is worth another $31.5 million at the transaction valuation.

Her personal cash proceeds from the transaction are likely around $31.5 million before taxes and transaction costs.

When it's all said and done, we just increased Shay Mitchell's net worth to $60 million.

Pretty little windfall, indeed.