How much have you accomplished in the past decade?

If you want a yardstick for measuring progress and a lesson in the rewards of goal-setting, look no further than Fighting Eel, born 10 years ago as one of many ambitious little clothing startups that grew up in the post-Fashion Television age. But while many a competitor has vanished, the creators of FE, Lan Chung and Rona Bennett, have pressed on, weathering the 2008 economic downturn and a few stumbling blocks of their own to emerge stronger than ever.

In a little "I knew them when … " story, I first met Chung and Bennett when they were selling their handmade, hand-appliqued tank tops off picnic tables set up in front of the Kakaako warehouse that now houses The Whole Ox Deli. I picked up a batch — they’ve held up well all this time — at $5 each on sale.

In the 10 years since, their universe of two has expanded to include 23 employees. They’ve created three clothing lines: Fighting Eel, Baby Eel and Ava Sky, and opened three Fighting Eel boutiques — on Nuuanu Avenue in 2010, in Kailua in fall 2011, and most recently, at the Royal Hawaiian Center. They’ll be hosting a grand-opening celebration for the Waikiki store from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 20, with a free fashion show at 6:30 p.m. There will also be sushi, cocktails and prize giveaways.

Their success is built on a formula of equal parts comfort and sexiness, based on what they and their friends like to wear. Their lines have evolved along with their lifestyle, from adding a bridal segment to their business when they and friends started getting married, to introducing Baby Eel after Chung, staffers and friends entered motherhood.

"We make a lot of things we like to wear," said Chung. "I like to wear pants now, so we added a lot of tops. Before, we made a lot of dresses."

Bennett is the more casual of the two, saying, "I live in shorts, T-shirts and slippers. My dad always teases, ‘My daughter is a fashion designer but she only wears rubber slippers.’"

THE ORIGINAL Fighting Eel designs comprised hand-appliqued tank tops intended to be wardrobe go-tos. From there they branched into everyday work-play dresses and separates in comfy modal fabric that drapes well on the body.

Baby Eel echoed popular FE designs, scaled down to mini-me proportions for moms who wanted to put their daughters on the style track.

Ava Sky, introduced last fall and named after Chung’s daughter, Ava Sky Agor, continues Fighting Eel’s casual tradition, geared toward fans of leisurely resort style. The collection features caftans, tunics, breezy dresses, separates and beach cover-ups.

"It feels like you’re on vacation and a lot of people like that look," said Bennett, who added that the Ava Sky line is doing well in boutiques across the nation.

The Fighting Eel line also started as a popular boutique line, but as shops everywhere shuttered after the market crash of 2008, Chung and Bennett scaled back. They had been considering opening a boutique to showcase their brand, and as an experiment, started hosting sales days in their Hotel Street studio. They started selling out of their workspace one day a week, and before long were opening to the public every day.

So while other businesses were closing their doors, Fighting Eel made the leap from design and manufacturing into retailing. "People kept coming so we looked into getting a space," Bennett said.

There were side projects as well. Bennett created a jewelry line, which she no longer has the time to keep up. Chung partnered with another longtime friend to open The Butik on Kapiolani Boulevard, honing buying skills that she now puts to use at the Fighting Eel boutiques, which carry other resort lines, accessories, handbags, jewelry and a few household items.

Bennett and Chung also opened the TeeTee Bar adjoining FE Nuuanu to sell T-shirts, mostly geared toward men. That was short-lived.

"We had to sell $1,000 in T-shirts a day," Chung said. "We didn’t realize guys don’t buy every day like women do. We learned pretty fast."

But all was not lost. They simply closed the T-shirt shop, knocked down a wall, and expanded their Fighting Eel store.

THE PAIR met while working at the French clothier agnes b. at Ala Moana Center. There, they found common ground in their fashion sensibility and formed an easy alliance.

"We don’t have too many disagreements. If we do, it’s short-lived," Bennett said. "I don’t think we get super angry either. We’re pretty even-tempered and we think kind of similar."

They didn’t realize it at the time, but agnes b. was also shaping their design vision, which has served them well in developing their brand. Agnes b. is known for feminine, classic and timeless basics such as sweater sets, button-down blouses and A-line skirts.

"It’s a different aesthetic from Fighting Eel, but the philosophy is similar," Chung said. "We want to create basics that women can wear all the time, that can go with anything in their closets. We don’t do anything really trendy so they can wear our designs season after season.

"Even when we don’t want to remake a style, the girls keep requesting the same things, and it’s not like it suits one age range. We have young people and old people."

Although the Waikiki store has been open for a little more than a week, it already seems to be expanding Fighting Eel’s fan base.

"It’s hard to tell what the clientele is, but it’s not like the other two shops, that serve local customers," Bennett said. "There’s people from Australia, people from Japan, and other countries, and they’re all looking for something different. But they seem to like Fighting Eel and Ava Sky, so that’s good."

For the moment, the pair is content to watch and see what happens in Waikiki before considering more locations, possibly on the mainland. Thirty stores in 30 years is a rumored target, and resort-y Maui seems like a logical next step. But first, Chung and Bennett admitted to needing a lesson in letting go.

"The problem with Maui is that we always want to know what’s going on, and we can’t go there every day," Bennett said.

"We’re micromanagers but you kind of have to be," Chung said. "You have to pay attention. You have to know what’s going on with your business."

"Some people just go along and hope things work out," Bennett said. "But if something’s going wrong, you have to act. You have to change it."

Who knows what’s next? In 30 years, we may be talking about them in the same breath as other local dynasties like Tori Richard, ‘Iolani and Surf Line Hawaii.