Nicola Gleave is the Founder of Worn By Us, a fashion resale business she started following a breast cancer diagnosis.
Initially set up to raise money for charity, Worn By Us now delivers commercial resale solutions for major brands and retailers whilst maintaining a core value of generating social impact through charitable giving from unwanted stock.
- Tell us a little bit about your business…
Worn By Us delivers fashion resale solutions for brands, retailers and consumers. Our aim is to help keep clothes in use for longer. We work with fashion brands to resell end of season and unwanted stock both on a commercial basis and for charity. This includes Customer Resale Schemes for retailers to support their customers to act more responsibly with unwanted fashion. We resell items sent to us providing a financial return back to the customer and a donation to charity.
- How did you get into the industry?
Following my breast cancer diagnosis, I began raising money for charity by asking celebrities to donate unwanted fashion items from their wardrobes to be re-sold. This generated lots of interest from people coming forward who had heard my story and wanted to donate or resell quality items from their wardrobes. In addition to retail partnerships, Worn By Us works with fashion stylists across the country whose clients are looking for a simple and easy way to resell clothing they no longer wear.
- What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in your industry?
The biggest opportunities is the changing landscape and narrative around sustainability and awareness from brands and consumers to change behaviours and to operate and act in a more responsible manner with regards to unwanted fashion. The movement by the industry to drive sustainability through ESG policies and practices is seeing a rapidly changing narrative and a more open willingness to seek new partnerships to help them achieve this.
The ever-changing economic climate poses challenges to this sector and many other industry sectors at the moment. Over recent years, the high street has changed and some well established brands have had to reinvent themselves or have disappeared altogether. The challenge (which is also an opportunity) is to constantly innovate and build long lasting relationships.
- How would you describe your leadership style?
I am a highly driven and motivated leader. I am very much a people person and believe in supportive and collaborative working environments and relationships. I believe that ‘people buy people’ and this is built on trust and confidence. I like to ‘give back’ and this is very much an integral part of how I behave and operate.
- How do you get the most out of the people who work for you?
I give people an opportunity to fully participate and contribute to all aspects of the business. I take on views and opinions (there is never a wrong opinion) and fully embrace new ideas. I keep staff fully updated on all aspects of the business and its developments, income streams and opportunities.
- What are the most crucial elements to your business running smoothly and being successful?
Our ability to develop new relationships with brands we have not worked with before and to gain their trust in us. To deliver excellent choice of product and customer service. To achieve a close-knit team that work in harmony together and are empowered to contribute to and implement the goals of the company.
- How has the past 12 months been for you?
The past 12 months has seen us refocus the business post covid and develop a clear strategy and action plan for implementation. We have built a number of successful relationships which are now bearing fruition and are enabling our company to grow.
- What will the next 12 months look like for your business?
With the ground work we have developed over the last 12 months, we hope to deliver successful services for our current clients and to build new partnerships. We would like to be the ‘go to’ resale business for all major fashion retailers and to grow or consumer resale service, reselling unwanted clothes from the nation’s wardrobes.
- What are the highlights of your career so far?
Starting a business from a seed of an idea following a negative medical experience (turning a negative into a positive) to a fully established company which counts well known fashion brands as our clients.
- What’s the biggest business mistake that you’ve learnt from?
Trying to be an expert at everything and torturing myself about it. I have learned to acknowledge my strengths and to focus on these and do them well. I surround myself with others who have skill sets that compliment mine; I empower and trust them.
- What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
To just be you, and to be the best version of yourself.
