Shay Mitchell first became a household name as Emily Fields on the blockbuster teen mystery drama “Pretty Little Liars.” She appeared in all seven seasons of the series, which ran from 2010 to 2017, starring alongside Lucy Hale, Troian Bellisario, and Ashley Benson. After the show ended, Mitchell expanded her résumé with roles in Netflix’s “You” and Hulu’s “Dollface,” while also growing her profile as a producer, entrepreneur, and major social media presence.
Acting introduced Mitchell to a global audience, but the business she built after “Pretty Little Liars” could prove to be the most lucrative chapter of her career.
In 2018, Mitchell co-founded BÉIS, a luggage and travel accessories brand with a name inspired by the word “beige.” She has said the idea came from a beige bag she used to carry everywhere; while searching for alternate ways to say or spell the color, she landed on BÉIS.
Eight years later, the brand has reached a major milestone: Samsonite has agreed to buy an 85% stake in BÉIS for $178.5 million in cash, a deal that values the company at $210 million.
It’s a remarkable payoff for a company that began with a straightforward goal. Mitchell wanted travel gear that was stylish, practical, and affordable—without forcing customers to compromise on any of the three.
Mitchell has said the products on the market often missed the mark. Some bags looked great but failed on function, while others were useful yet either too costly or too plain. BÉIS was created to fill that gap with suitcases and accessories she would genuinely want to travel with herself.
That bet clearly paid off.
(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.
