A high-fashion apparel startup wants to create a better uniform for working women - and millennials are obsessed

The streets of San Francisco are paved with young men wearing hoodies, jeans, and T-shirts - the tech bro uniform popularized by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and other tech executives. In 2014, Stanford graduates Jessica Lee and Lizzie Agnew decided to offer a locally-run fashionable alternative for women.

Their direct-to-consumer apparel company Modern Citizen provides stylish, professional women with a curated collection of fashion-forward pieces, with many items priced under $100. Cashmere knits, wrap dresses, and relaxed-fit blazers provide comfortable alternatives to the Valley wardrobe staples.

At a time when shoppers are fleeing mall chains like J. Crew, Gap, and Abercrombie & Fitch, Modern Citizen is growing. The company opened its first brick-and-mortar in San Francisco's Cow Hollow neighborhood in August and has plans for an outpost in New York next year. A spokesperson declined to share revenue but confirmed that yearly sales top $1 million.

Business Insider sat down with Modern Citizen's cofounders, Lee and Agnew, to see what the high-fashion e-tailer is doing differently to evade the retail apocalypse.

Additional photography by Caroline Cakebread.