In London there may be fashion brands galore, but few have managed to have the democratic appeal, or commercial success, of Me+Em, which is dressing everyone from the working mothers of middle England, and America, to Queen Camilla.
Founder and chief executive officer Clare Hornby has built the brand on practical, stylish clothing that’s priced accessibly and geared toward busy professional women. Having always juggled family and career demands, Hornby knew the challenge of dashing from the office to a school hockey match and then on to a drinks event while looking pulled-together.
That’s why she and her team design around customers’ needs. Blazers have a “scrunch” built into the sleeves so they stay in place once they’re pushed up, while dresses have adjustable necklines and trousers come with double loops to accommodate different belt widths. Some even have button-up cuffs so they can be worn with different heel heights.
It’s no wonder Me+Em sold a pair of trousers every minute in 2025, a year that saw revenues climb 29 percent to 190 million pounds. EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, has more than tripled over the past four years to 37 million pounds. The brand’s impressive growth is why it is receiving the 2026 WWD Honor for Best-Performing Private Fashion Company.
Hornby said the brand has always been about “intelligent style” for intelligent women. “A great deal of thought goes into each and every piece to ensure it is flattering and functional, is created fairly and ticks the box for contemporary fashion appeal,” she said, adding that if a piece doesn’t tick all four boxes, “we don’t make it.”
A look from the Me+Em fall 2026 campaign.
She also wants customers to “buy less and make their pieces work harder,” one of the reasons Me+Em launched Suit Lab earlier this year. The offer allows customers to put different jackets and trousers together in a variety of ways, online and in-store.
Hornby said she wants women to have at least one suit they can rely on, and sees the suit as the foundation of a capsule wardrobe. Customers can add a matching dress and tops and a reversible belt, “making pieces go further, and allowing you to pack quickly,” she said.
Comfort is another priority. Before launching Me+Em’s footwear, Hornby worked with her osteopath to create a foot- and back-friendly block-heel loafer, and now has an in-house podiatrist consulting on designs.
The message has been resonating. During fiscal 2025 Me+Em said it saw “heightened customer loyalty” and achieved “industry-leading” repeat buy rates, with 46 percent of all customers placing a second order.
Hornby has always remained close to the business, reading the retail data weekly and speaking to customers directly about their needs rather than relying on focus groups, which she abhors.
Inside the Me+Em in Beverly Hills.
Courtesy of ME+EM/Bridgit Beyer
Early in her career Hornby worked for Harrods, in the marketing department, and has held various jobs in advertising, data and customer insight. It’s that data, and her own instincts, that have always driven Hornby’s decisions on everything from design to retail.
She decided to make a U.S. debut — and open three New York stores in the first half of 2024 — because she could see the online orders clustering around Manhattan. She pursues the same retail strategy in the U.S. as in the U.K., opening stores where there is a “strong local community and visitors, too.”
Me+Em also deals directly with suppliers. “We don’t have middlemen. I’m obsessed with quality, and in order to offer the highest standard at an accessible price, we handle everything ourselves, in-house. No third parties mean no unnecessary markups. We no longer have to choose between luxury and cost,” she said.
The democratic messaging, and accessible prices — many of the dresses are under 300 pounds, while some trouser styles cost less than 200 pounds — have attracted a wide variety of women, including actresses Margot Robbie, Olivia Colman and Helen Mirren and the British royals.
Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has long been a fan of Me+Em’s tailored separates and silk shirtdresses. She recently layered the brand’s alpaca-wool blend Fair Isle sweater under a Barbour coat for a charity photo op.
Queen Camilla, who wears the midi and maxidresses, took her admiration for Me+Em a step further, handing the brand a Royal Warrant as an official supplier of clothing and accessories to the royal household. Me+Em joins brands including Burberry, Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes and accessories maker Anya Hindmarch on the elite list of Royal Warrant holders.
Kate Middleton wearing a two-tone pink Me+Em dress at the Chelsea Flower Show.
WireImage/Courtesy of Getty Images
Hornby has grown Me+Em deliberately and steadily, with zero reliance on wholesale. “This business model is about control, following our data,” and selling in-season collections with a see now, buy now model, she said.
The business launched online in 2009 as a direct-to-consumer proposition and the first stores didn’t open until nearly a decade later, on New Cavendish Street and Draycott Avenue in London. The first London flagship opened two years ago in London’s Marylebone neighborhood.
Today Me+Em has 11 stores in the U.K., and eight in the U.S., a market that has wholeheartedly embraced the brand.
In 2025, Me+Em’s U.S. revenue rose by 39 percent to 65 million pounds, driven by “significant” double-digit online sales growth and the opening of three new stores in the region. Growth was fueled by the brand’s omnichannel strategy during a year that saw the opening of stores in Greenwich, Conn., and North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills.
The company said all U.S. stores were profitable in their first year of trading and drove “significant” like-for-like sales growth in year two. Over the last three-year period, the group’s active U.S. customer base has nearly quadrupled, with VIP customers growing at an even faster rate, according to the brand.
Stores are set to open in Houston, Los Angeles and Paris in the coming months, with Me+Em’s teams scouting further locations in the U.S.
Strong trading momentum has continued into 2026, the company said, with rolling 12-month global revenue growing 24 percent year-over-year to 215 million pounds, and total U.S. revenue growing 48 percent to 84 million pounds during the same period.
Last week, Me+Em revealed that its private equity backer Highland Europe, which first took a stake in 2022, had increased its holding, “underscoring its confidence in the brand and its growth trajectory.” The customer-first strategy is paying off.
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