‘We have enough products on the planet’: Nobody’s Child boss Jody Plows on the ethics of sustainable fashion
Share:
The chief executive of the clothing label is emphasising traceability and accountability in the supply chain – and looking beyond one season at a time. Jody Plows sweeps aside a screen to reveal models, photographers and stylists swishing about the white-walled offices of the Nobody’s Child HQ in Camden.
The boss of the fast-growing fashion label, whose clothes have been worn by the likes of Phoebe Dynevor, Poppy Delevingne, Sienna Miller and brand ambassador Fearne Cotton, says she has been “building a culture” as much as a business. The office is filled with colourfully dressed employees who, Plows says, hold a meeting once a month to “celebrate everybody” and the brand’s successes. “I think all of that is very motivational,” she says.
Founded a decade ago by tech and fashion manufacturing entrepreneur Andrew Xeni, and backed by New Look founder Tom Singh, the brand began selling affordable dresses at around £40 with the aim of being more ethical and sustainable than its competitors.
It shot to prominence through the success of its highly wearable “Starlight” A-line, puff sleeved midi dress, which began in florals and is now sold in multiple colours and fabrics. In 2021, Marks & Spencer bought a 27% stake and made Nobody’s Child the first outside fashion brand to be sold by the high street stalwart.
Social media has helped fuel its growth and its sales are still mainly online, although its products are stocked in more than 300 wholesale partners’ stores worldwide, including M&S and John Lewis. It has just three of its own stores, but is set to open 10 more this year, including its first outside London, in St Albans.