<\/p>\n
\n\tIn 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tFounder and chief executive officer Clare Hornby has built the brand on practical, stylish clothing that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tThat\u2019s why she and her team design around customers\u2019 needs. Blazers have a \u201cscrunch\u201d built into the sleeves so they stay in place once they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tIt\u2019s 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\u2019s impressive growth is why it is receiving the 2026 WWD Honor for Best-Performing Private Fashion Company. <\/p>\n
\n\tHornby said the brand has always been about \u201cintelligent style\u201d for intelligent women. \u201cA 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,\u201d she said, adding that if a piece doesn\u2019t tick all four boxes, \u201cwe don\u2019t make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tA look from the Me+Em fall 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n
\n\tShe also wants customers to \u201cbuy less and make their pieces work harder,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tHornby 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, \u201cmaking pieces go further, and allowing you to pack quickly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\n\tComfort is another priority. Before launching Me+Em\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe message has been resonating. During fiscal 2025 Me+Em said it saw \u201cheightened customer loyalty\u201d and achieved \u201cindustry-leading\u201d repeat buy rates, with 46 percent of all customers placing a second order.<\/p>\n
\n\tHornby 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.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tInside the Me+Em in Beverly Hills. <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of ME+EM\/Bridgit Beyer<\/p>\n
\n\tEarly in her career Hornby worked for Harrods, in the marketing department, and has held various jobs in advertising, data and customer insight. It\u2019s that data, and her own instincts, that have always driven Hornby\u2019s decisions on everything from design to retail.<\/p>\n
\n\tShe decided to make a U.S. debut \u2014 and open three New York stores in the first half of 2024 \u2014 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 \u201cstrong local community and visitors, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tMe+Em also deals directly with suppliers. \u201cWe don\u2019t have middlemen. I\u2019m 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe democratic messaging, and accessible prices \u2014 many of the dresses are under 300 pounds, while some trouser styles cost less than 200 pounds \u2014 have attracted a wide variety of women, including actresses Margot Robbie, Olivia Colman and Helen Mirren and the British royals.<\/p>\n
\n\tKate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has long been a fan of Me+Em\u2019s tailored separates and silk shirtdresses. She recently layered the brand\u2019s alpaca-wool blend Fair Isle sweater under a Barbour coat for a charity photo op.<\/p>\n
\n\tQueen 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.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tKate Middleton wearing a two-tone pink Me+Em dress at the Chelsea Flower Show.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWireImage\/Courtesy of Getty Images<\/p>\n
\n\tHornby has grown Me+Em deliberately and steadily, with zero reliance on wholesale. \u201cThis business model is about control, following our data,\u201d and selling in-season collections with a see now, buy now model, she said.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe business launched online in 2009 as a direct-to-consumer proposition and the first stores didn\u2019t 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\u2019s Marylebone neighborhood.<\/p>\n
\n\tToday Me+Em has 11 stores in the U.K., and eight in the U.S., a market that has wholeheartedly embraced the brand.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn 2025, Me+Em\u2019s U.S. revenue rose by 39 percent to 65 million pounds, driven by \u201csignificant\u201d double-digit online sales growth and the opening of three new stores in the region. Growth was fueled by the brand\u2019s omnichannel strategy during a year that saw the opening of stores in Greenwich, Conn., and North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe company said all U.S. stores were profitable in their first year of trading and drove \u201csignificant\u201d like-for-like sales growth in year two. Over the last three-year period, the group\u2019s active U.S. customer base has nearly quadrupled, with VIP customers growing at an even faster rate, according to the brand.<\/p>\n
\n\tStores are set to open in Houston, Los Angeles and Paris in the coming months, with Me+Em\u2019s teams scouting further locations in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\n\tStrong 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.<\/p>\n
\n\tLast week, Me+Em revealed that its private equity backer Highland Europe, which first took a stake in 2022, had increased its holding, \u201cunderscoring its confidence in the brand and its growth trajectory.\u201d The customer-first strategy is paying off.<\/p>\n
#MeEms #Practical #Glamour #Paying #Dividends<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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