5 years prior to now, Priya Downes set about on a mission to reshape the underwear commerce. Recognising an absence of wise however trendy lingerie within the market, considerably for ladies coping with quick life changes, she left her job inside the luxurious space to embark on a model new journey. A one by means of which she went head on in direction of finding out curves, sustainability obstacles and a manner of shopper fatigue in course of underwear as a whole.
Now, Downes’ lingerie mannequin Nudea has cemented itself inside the UK, slowly nonetheless steadily shifting up from its standing as a start-up to develop to be a nationally recognised title. With 30,000 energetic prospects now on report, reflecting widening loyalty to the mannequin, Downes talked about that Nudea represented the “creation of a movement of people that actually really feel empowered of their very personal our our bodies”.
FashionUnited spoke with Downes, who moreover serves as CEO, on some highlights from Nudea’s 5 years of life, whereas moreover making an attempt into the near-term manner ahead for the mannequin, from a deliberate fundraise to alternate options previous the UK.
The market: From Skims to sleepwear
Since Nudea’s launch in 2019, the lingerie market has taken sharp twists and turns, pushed by large-scale rivals and macroeconomic elements. For Downes, one necessary change was the introduction of Kim Kardashian’s shapewear mannequin, Skims, which she talked about had a “extremely efficient have an effect on” on the commerce since its launch, moreover in 2019. “It opened up the gate for all of us,” Downes talked about on the now 4 billion buck label. “[The lingerie market] was being disrupted in bits by smaller producers, nonetheless Skims acquired right here alongside and talked about ‘we have now to take a look at this in one other manner’. It purchased people to open up and say: ‘Actually, I do have to be a bit further adventurous with my underwear.’”
The pandemic moreover ushered in what Downes often known as the “comfort revolution”, all through which it appeared as if in a single day bras had develop to be just about unessential, thus pushing fully totally different needs and wishes in course of underwear. Prospects had been in the hunt for merchandise that had been every bodily and inwardly comfortable, boosting demand for non-wired bras, considerably amongst youthful generations. It is a sentiment that to nowadays has remained fairly intact.
Persevering with sturdy into its 5 12 months mark, Nudea has exhibited a functionality to adapt to this ever-changing market, with Downes on a regular basis sustaining her eyes peeled for alternate options to hold the mannequin’s imaginative and prescient into new realms. Enlargement into sleepwear was an occasion of this, with the preliminary assortment’s success having shortly cemented the category into Nudea’s fibres, with Downes now even describing the mannequin as every a lingerie and sleepwear label. “We had been truly ahead of the ‘mattress to seaside’ movement,” she well-known. “[Our sleepwear] hit a sweet spot, perhaps better than we’d have imagined. That class took off for us.”
Overcoming challenges in funding women founders
One in every of many largest milestones emphasised by Downes was the company’s 2022 crowdfunding, which was overfunded by spherical 180 p.c. The target was to get prospects involved inside the mannequin’s journey, a mission that was seemingly achieved, as many took to investing inside the mannequin. “The reality that prospects contemplate in you and have to be a part of your future is perhaps the most important reward for me. Prospects not solely have to buy from me, as a female entrepreneur, nonetheless moreover they should make investments,” Downes talked about.
Whereas this help has remained an important part of Nudea’s trajectory, Downes recognised that securing such backing can nonetheless be tough inside the current environment. Women founders are nonetheless marginalised in comparison with males with reference to funding. A report by Forbes acknowledged that the amount of capital going into backing women-founded firms dropped to 1.8 p.c inside the first half of 2024, as as compared with the 86 p.c that goes to all-male founder teams. It is one factor that Downes is acutely aware about and sees mirrored in her private experiences.
“Being a female founder, considerably for a shopper mannequin, I do actually really feel like I get questioned better than if I had a male counterpart. It’s nonetheless sturdy as a female founder to elevate money,” she well-known. “That being talked about, loads of the individuals who have invested in us have been males. There’s nonetheless further work to be achieved to get women further comfortable investing in others. There have to be a holistic infrastructure change when having a look at how women can get further funding principally.”
Downes has contributed her private efforts to this set off by turning into a member of Alma Angels, an organisation designed to diploma the having fun with space for female entrepreneurs aiming to secure startup funding. That’s considerably notable inside the current context, with Nudea preparing for a model new funding spherical in 2025 as a result of it appears to enter its subsequent part of life.
B Corp and sustainability: Lingerie akin to luxurious magnificence
This 12 months will even carry new challenges in one of the best ways of sustainability, a value that has been ingrained into Nudea since day one, and is able to be reaffirmed as the company reapplies for its B Corp certification in February. Downes’ option to lean on sustainability has been intentional from the outset, tying to her non-public principle of buying a lot much less and searching for greater. The issue with underwear, nonetheless, is that it is normally omitted of circularity discussions, in its place deemed to be a throw away piece that is unable to be rented, donated or resold.
Downes wanted to be a part of the reply. Whereas she well-known similarities between luxurious vogue and lingerie on account of her earlier experiences, Downes really seen further goal to test underwear to that of magnificence – an opulent you don’t generally see. The place prospects look to place cash into an outstanding face cream, they should moreover look to place cash into an sincere bra. It is at this crossroads that Nudea areas itself, presenting as a mannequin that avoids frivolities, and locations the give consideration to technical qualities.
Such a mindset moreover locations Nudea ahead of the game relating to complying to sustainability requirements. In its first 12 months of life, the company carried out its first lifecycle analysis, and has been carbon auditing ever since. This information will be on the market by the mannequin’s web page, and by the use of QR codes that let prospects to see the impression of their purchase. Over the next 12 months, Nudea expects in order so as to add to the data equipped, with plans to include further elements like water utilization and fabric origins.
That’s considerably important inside the wake of newest EU guidelines set to return again in over the following couple of years, however as well as as the company continues to rearrange for its B Corp recertification, which requires a revisit every three years. This course of has develop to be tougher since Nudea was first licensed, with stricter measures now in place. However, Nudea’s preparedness permits it to be a entrance runner. “As a small enterprise, we take pleasure in already having all that data ahead of time. We even have the infrastructure and data gathering packages that pull all this information collectively,” Downes well-known.
From the native market to the US
Plenty of Nudea’s capability to align with B Corp specs and sustainability requirements comes on account of long-running, regular relations with its supplier base. The certification will be a component that allows it to face out on the worldwide market, considerably in North America, the place there is a primary lack of eco-centric producers. This stays essential for Nudea, as a result of it continues to up its presence inside the US, the place it not too way back struck up a partnership with retail large Nordstrom, growing out from its prior connections with smaller boutiques. Now selling by the use of the retailer’s on-line web page, Downes sees the partnership as a small step in a thought-out progress method for the mannequin, which she talked about was not pretty ready for a full US enlargement.
“US enlargement entails loads of capital, logistics and promoting, and we’re not pretty there however. We have got a rising database for purchasers there, and we’re increasingly more seeing further orders from them. It isn’t simple to return garments or get a company transport payment, so that offers a barrier. Whereas we do have some bodily stockists inside the US, we are going to’t cowl all that ground. Being on-line with Nordstrom makes us further accessible. It models the groundwork for after we’re completely in a position to go in the marketplace,” Downes talked about.
For 2025, Downes will be eyeing associated alternate options in Canada with Hudson’s Bay, however though enlargement is on her ideas, Nudea’s origins keep significance. The company initially started solely on-line, which now makes up a “necessary chunk of the enterprise”, one factor Downes is happy with as a result of it displays that “progress has come from the mannequin itself”. Whereas challenges from present years pushed a necessity for wholesale, 2024 seen on-line return to its former glory, with product sales from the division contributing to 60 p.c of turnover. This was further bolstered by a partnership with John Lewis, for which product sales had been up 198 p.c.
Downes commented: “It’s a superb win for us, because of on-line is the place income is. We’re truly blissful to see that diploma of progress. We’ve had a very constructive [2024], with every retailers and ourselves on-line. It’s been just about a breath of up to date air after some tough years in between. One issue I am proud to say is that, although we scale back spending, we nonetheless slowly grew. We’ve remained terribly lean, and we haven’t overraised.”
Assist in Etam accelerator as Europe reveals potential
On the once more of progress inside the US, Nudea will be eyeing positive areas in Europe for potential enlargement. Nonetheless, akin to North America, Downes underlines that these markets are to solely be explored in an educated vogue. Nudea had beforehand supplied by the use of Zalando, nonetheless exited the e-commerce platform as Brexit-related challenges mounted. This resulted in a departure from Germany, France, Italy and Spain, the place, no matter prior challenges, Nudea nonetheless sees different to return.
“What Zalando equipped us was a extraordinarily good test of what we are going to do in Europe. We realised that bodily progress was moreover important. Europeans retailer barely in one other manner. We have to be prepared the place we are going to go into that market in a very deliberate and strategic strategy, reasonably than merely be opportunistic about it,” Downes talked about.
Plenty of this is perhaps bolstered by Nudea’s involvement in Etam Group’s WeDareLab accelerator programme, which it was chosen for in November 2024. Over an eight month interval, Nudea will participate in a personalised help programme, with a give consideration to new product enhancements and developing a way to enter the European market, most likely by the establishment of strategic companions.
Downes talked about Etam’s information had been excellent to faucet into. She added: “They’re serving to in each factor, from product to design to wholesale to tapping into the European market. They’re an open book. We’re truly excited to work with them to develop the enterprise, not merely on the product facet, nonetheless commercially. Even for our subsequent funding spherical, we are going to look into how they’ll help us there too. They’re exactly what they promised: an accelerator programme to scale producers.”
What’s to return again from 2025?
So, with a fundraise on the horizon, a B Corp recertification due and extra market expansions in Europe and North America ahead, 2025 seems to be pitted as one different 12 months of most important transition for Nudea. Downes moreover envisions a 12 months by means of which the UK as a whole would possibly enter into further positivity, as a result of the macroeconomic environment settles into place.
In her closing remarks, Downes talked about: “I’m truly enthusiastic in regards to the place we’re, and what the long term brings in 2025. We’re in search of to go large on mannequin consciousness. Inside the last 12 months, people have been pretty detrimental about points similar to the financial system and this looming change of presidency, nonetheless I actually really feel like loads of that is behind us. I’m not saying we’re out of the woods however, there’s nonetheless loads of uncertainty and jitters obtainable available in the market. Nonetheless the progress we seen [in 2024] has made me excited for a model new part, coming out of the instability of the ultimate three years. Inside the UK, we’ve settled right into a model new world, so let’s get on with life.”