FIGS is an American direct-to-consumer medical apparel company founded in 2013 in Santa Monica, California, by Heather Hasson and Trina Spear, offering premium scrubs and healthcare apparel designed with technical fabrics and contemporary styling for medical professionals.
Meaning and Symbolism
- The sophisticated black (#1c1c19) represents professionalism, quality, and the premium positioning that distinguishes FIGS from traditional utilitarian scrubs brands.
- Black conveys the serious, life-saving work that healthcare professionals perform, elevating medical apparel to fashion-level consideration.
- The monochromatic approach creates versatility across FIGS’ colorful product line, allowing the brand to showcase vibrant scrub colors without visual competition.
- Black suggests the modern, design-forward aesthetic that FIGS brought to an industry previously dominated by functional but unflattering workwear.
- The minimalist color choice reflects the clean, streamlined design philosophy applied to scrubs featuring anti-wrinkle, moisture-wicking technical fabrics.
History and Evolution
FIGS was founded in 2013 by Heather Hasson and Trina Spear, who recognized that healthcare workers deserved scrubs that combined functionality with style, quality, and comfort. The founders observed that medical apparel had changed little in decades, with most options being boxy, uncomfortable, and made from cheap materials. FIGS launched as a direct-to-consumer brand selling premium scrubs made with proprietary technical fabrics including FIONx, which offers four-way stretch, moisture-wicking, anti-wrinkle, and antimicrobial properties.
The company grew rapidly by marketing directly to healthcare professionals through social media and influencer partnerships, building a community of doctors, nurses, dentists, and other medical workers who appreciated stylish, functional apparel. FIGS expanded its product line beyond scrubs to include lab coats, underscrubs, outerwear, compression socks, and footwear. In May 2021, FIGS went public on the New York Stock Exchange with a valuation exceeding $4 billion, making co-CEOs Hasson and Spear among the few female founders to lead a company through a successful IPO. As of 2024, FIGS generates over $500 million in annual revenue and has expanded internationally while maintaining its mission to celebrate healthcare professionals through premium apparel.
Typography and Design
The FIGS logo features bold, contemporary typography with clean lines that convey modern fashion sensibility rather than medical industry conventions. The wordmark uses distinctive letterforms with strong visual impact, ensuring recognition whether embroidered on scrubs, printed on packaging, or displayed on digital platforms. The all-caps treatment adds authority and presence while the balanced proportions maintain approachability.
The black color (#1c1c19) provides maximum contrast and premium positioning across all brand touchpoints, from the website showcasing colorful scrub collections to packaging and social media content. The minimalist approach allows FIGS’ product colors—including Caribbean, Ceil Blue, Navy, Wine, Black, and dozens of other options—to take center stage. The abstract mark in the logo often incorporates organic elements suggesting the fig fruit, connecting to the brand name while maintaining sophisticated simplicity. This design strategy positions FIGS at the intersection of healthcare and fashion, appealing to medical professionals who want functional apparel that looks and feels as good as contemporary athleisure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed the FIGS logo? The FIGS brand identity was developed by the founding team or a branding agency as the company launched, creating a fashion-forward aesthetic that differentiated from traditional medical apparel brands.
When was the FIGS logo last updated? FIGS has maintained its core black minimalist identity since founding in 2013, with the clean, modern design remaining consistent as the company grew from startup to publicly traded corporation.
What makes FIGS scrubs different? FIGS scrubs are made with proprietary technical fabrics like FIONx featuring four-way stretch, moisture-wicking, anti-wrinkle, and antimicrobial properties, combined with contemporary tailored fits and fashion-forward styling unavailable in traditional medical apparel.