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meandem.comME+EM launched in 2009 to create intelligent style through clothing that is flattering, functional and timeless. It has since become synonymous with modern luxury, with Founder and CEO Clare Hornby at the helm. Its clothes are spotted on everyone from celebrities, to royals and politicians, with the brand recently expanding to the US with four stores in New York and Dallas. Here, Clare shares her growth journey, ambitions and how to approach challenges.
How has your perspective as a founder and CEO changed from early stage to growth stage?
The focus and strategy have remained the same since the early stages of the business, but the most significant change has been my ambition. In the early days, the ambition was to create a business that resonated in our home market, but as we’ve grown, that ambition has grown too. Your perspective broadens, and your vision expands which in itself provides the opportunity to fuel further growth in new markets.
Which early investment paid off the most when scaling?
We committed to an omnichannel strategy from the outset which meant that we invested in physical stores very early on. Whilst a big investment at the time, this provided a valuable blueprint for all of our subsequent store rollouts, both in the UK, and our first US stores which opened last year.
Was there one counter-intuitive strategy that worked for you?
The belief that you could sell luxury for less via the DTC model. When we launched ME+EM, the DTC model – specifically when it came to fashion – was reserved for lower-quality products, with luxury brands going through wholesale. It was our pursuit of quality and excellence for less which took us down the DTC route because we couldn’t commit to our pricing framework without it. We knew the customer wanted it, and it’s a model which still works today. Naivety was my best friend, I didn’t come from a fashion background, so I couldn’t see the barriers – it was a counter-intuitive approach to the market, but not to me.
How did you adapt your company culture during rapid growth?
Our company culture relies on effective communication. I clearly remember reaching 100 people in our head office and realising organic communication didn’t work anymore. It was at this stage we put a lot of processes in place; we aim to be concise and have established a quick way of communicating our strategy, which we keep on repeating. We have a monthly town hall meeting with the entire business where we always revisit the strategy, communicating transparently to bring everyone on the journey with us.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself at the very start of the growth stage?
Treat every hurdle and every mistake as an opportunity to get better. Embrace the challenges, because if it’s hard, it means nobody else is doing it.