Nobody’s Child is grabbing attention. The brand, in which M&S holds a 27% stake, has a growing presence on the high street, through not only its 60 M&S pop-ups but its three own stores.
It also took home Retail Gazette’s Fashion Game Changer award last month.
The retailer, which will turn 10 next year, is bringing eco-conscious fashion to the masses and is now sold in 200 stores worldwide, having doubled its bricks-and-mortar presence year on year.
“We’ve got incredible reach. We’re obviously on M&S,” says founder Andrew Xeni. “They dress half the nation in one way, shape, or form, so that gives us incredible exposure.”
The M&S connection
M&S first began its partnership with Nobody’s Child in 2020 when it became the first third-party brand sold on M&S.com. It helped kickstart what is a burgeoning part of M&S’ business, as the retailer now sells close to 100 brands online with partner sales up 40% year on year in its latest half year.
Nobody’s Child remains a top performer for the retailer. Earlier this year, when it revealed it would bring Nobody’s Child pop-ups to 60 M&S stores, the retail giant’s director of third party brands Nishi Mahajan said “they continue to be one of the most-loved by our customers”.
Majahan said that Nobody’s Child helped make M&S “the destination for dresses during the spring/summer season”.
She added: “Our partnership with Nobody’s Child is a proof point to the success of our Brands at M&S strategy – when we get the partnership right, everyone wins.”
It’s perhaps unsurprising that M&S sought to deepen the relationship between the pair when it acquired a 27% stake in the brand in May 2022, and a year later, injected further funding in Nobody’s Child.
This strategic investment was aimed at bolstering Nobody’s Child’s growth and sustainability efforts while allowing M&S to offer more eco-friendly fashion options to its customers.
On the investment, Xeni says: “What convinced me was the dedication of M&S’s leadership team to drive change; their commitment resonated deeply with our values at Nobody’s Child.”
“It was a match made in heaven.”
It certainly seems like a harmonious relationship.
Xeni says the “collaboration isn’t just about expanding our footprint; it’s about mutual growth”.
“We constantly challenge each other to innovate and improve,” he says. “This dynamic pushes both teams to excel, offering customers a diverse and inclusive fashion experience. It’s a partnership where both brands are culturally aligned, focused on sustainability and inclusivity.”
“We’re both keeping each other on our toes, which is great for the customer.”
The closeness has led some to speculate that M&S could increase its stake in the brand. Xeni admits: “I think it’s fair to say that they probably would.”
However, he stresses there are no active discussions right now. “Everyone’s happy with the overall performance and impact on both businesses,” he says.
Nobody’s Child is certainly soaring right now, with revenue having more than quadrupled in its last two financial years to £26m, and net sales forecast to grow a further 50% this year.
Third party sales represents the bulk of revenue, and soared 87% to £14m in its last financial year.
Its relationship with M&S has not stopped Nobody’s Child’s partnering with other retailers.
Xeni says: “John Lewis is great for us, Next continues to grow. Asos we’ve been consistent on while N Brown as partners also do well, so in every channel we seem to perform well.”
“They’re all at different shapes and sizes. Obviously, M&S is only a minority shareholder, so we operate pretty independently, but they’ve got an amazing footprint to help us grow.”
Sustainable fashion
Xeni set up Nobody’s Child in 2015 to deliver stylish, affordable clothing with a strong commitment to ethical practices.
With fabric choice accounting for up to 80% of a product’s environmental footprint, that’s where its focus lies.
Nobody’s Child collaborates with manufacturers and factories across Europe to help sources new and innovative textiles.
Currently 90% of its clothing is made from responsible fabrics, and Xeni says it is working hard on the remaining 10%.
Another key part of its sustainability strategy is the introduction of its digital product passport earlier this year, for which it picked up Retail Gazette’s Fashion Game Changer award last month.
The passport, launched ahead of upcoming EU product transparency legislation, offers shoppers full visibility into where their clothes come from.
Nobody’s Child works closely with suppliers to collate hundreds of data points to track each stage of a garment’s journey from the raw materials to its final arrival at the distribution centre.
By scanning a QR code on the label, customers can access this information. The passport also breaks down carbon emissions, provides practical care tips, and offers links to circular services for repairs, alterations, rentals, and pre-loved options.
“We have an ambition by the end of this year, to make sure that, at least in production, every product has passports embedded in it,” Xeni shares.
He adds that the digital product passports have been “well-received, creating a positive halo effect and increasing customer trust”.
“We invest as much as any other top one percentile in sustainability,” he adds. “We are quite happy to compromise a level of profitability to protect our credentials because we believe long term that’s what’s gonna give us our brand equity.”
And it seems like this is just the beginning for DPPs.
Tesco revealed over the summer that it would roll them out across its F&F clothing range in partnership with Xeni’s data and technology business Fabacus.
Although this is a big move forward for transparency in the fashion industry, it comes at a time where ultra-fast fashion giant Shein continues to soar, despite criticism over its opaque supply chain.
As the leader of a brand that has sustainability at its core, Xeni says: “I don’t think value fashion and sustainability can necessarily go hand in hand.”
Nobody’s Child strives to deliver “as sustainable as possible fashion at value prices” with Xeni admitting its sweet spot for eco-friendly dresses is around £70.
He expresses his frustration with the UK government’s slow progress in implementing updated sustainability and ethical fashion regulation.
“It’s a little bit disappointing that the UK government is seemingly so far behind,” he remarks, contrasting it with the EU’s more sophisticated sustainability framework.
International ambitions
Nobody’s Child may have an expanding presence on the UK high street due to its M&S shop-in-shops and three stores – the largest of which opened in Covent Garden this summer – however, it is also growing overseas.
Through its M&S partnership it opened in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai and it is stocked online with department stores Nordstrom and Von Maur.
Last year, it also launched in Canadian department store Hudson’s Bay, in Australian department store Myer, as well as in Europe and the Middle East.
“International for us has been really encouraging, the early indicators have been solid,” Xeni says.
However, there are no firm plans to open its own stores overseas yet.
“We certainly have the appetite for physical, but it’s picking the right time.”
Xeni says it will do this in a “very, very considered” manner and will ensure its decisions are informed and calculated.
He admits he has “a phobia about going backwards” and does not want to risk the retailer’s balance sheet while expanding.
The success of Nobody’s Child’s pop-up shops was a big learning experience in paving the way for permanent UK expansion and provided valuable customer feedback. It has also helped bolster the top line with its Carnaby Street pop up alone contributing £1.1m to sales over its last financial year.
Product expansion
It is not just physical space where Nobody’s Child is growing, it is also expanding its product range.
“Expanding categories has been a big focus right now,” Xeni says, stressing the need to demonstrate that the brand is more than just beautiful summer dresses.
In the last three years, it has launched casualwear, bags, knitwear, tailoring, swimwear, and denim, all of which have “seen strong success”.
The retailer has also teamed up with premium footwear brand Alohas and expanded into outerwear and partywear.
Xeni says: “We’ve obviously elevated the brand a lot. We’ve got some beautiful premium stuff coming out of India and these are categories and products that we’ve not ordinarily produced.”
With product, store and and digital expansion on the horizon, the future looks bright for Nobody’s Child as it looks to bring its ethical fashion to the masses.
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