Except that's not what happened. Go read the article and read up on them: they only took on VC funding later when they had a solid business that had been built

Except that's not what happened. Go read the article and read up on them: they only took on VC funding later when they had a solid business that had been built from scratch and was beyond the Apple II era of its existence. This wasn't a case of somebody just having the idea to sell clothes online and then heading to VCs: it was a business that started out well, took on VC funding, and then started to tank. Your comparison is unfair to both Apple and Nasty Gal.