Claire Henderson and Mike Branney, the founders and owners of U.K.-based brand Oh Polly, were initially looking for ways to fund their charity for impoverished children and families in Cambodia, The Brannerson Foundation — and they ended up ended up creating a fashion empire. In order to reach their financing goals, Henderson and Branney chose to create a trendy, fun and affordable fashion brand that would generate quick turnaround sales. Little did they know, this side venture, launched in 2015, would skyrocket and reach the level of success that it has today!
After launching the brand on eBay, Henderson and Branney were pleasantly surprised when sales began to really take off. As the brand grew, so did the scope of the design spectrum: with an international design team that keeps its eyes and ears open to trends and what women want from their fashion, Oh Polly offers a plethora of affordable, quality designs that satisfy their customer base, including sexy body con dresses and dresses featuring strategic cutouts, swimwear, cover-ups, tops, bottoms, shoes, coats, jackets and denim as well as loungewear and intimates. And most importantly, Oh Polly is size inclusive, designing its garments for petite women, tall women and women with curves.
Henderson, Oh Polly’s CEO, creative director and art director, says that she spends most of her time creating mood boards and style guides and overseeing the general art direction that goes into every photoshoot for each new collection. She also spends a large part of her time conducting market research keeping her eye on the fashion industry, forecasts and trends.
Branney — who is the brand’s managing director and also holds a PhD in engineering — works with the day-to-day logistics of managing the brand. A multi-awarded entrepreneur, he was voted as the National Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and the Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Branney also recently sat on a panel of seasoned entrepreneurial enthusiasts to choose finalists for the new Startup Awards National Series, a program launched to recognize the booming start up scene across the U.K.
In recognizing the changes in today’s market and the wants and needs of today’s fashion shoppers, Henderson and Branney moved away from the traditional design model of offering just two collections and a resort collection each year, and have adapted to what direct consumers are asking for these days: unscheduled “drops” debuting bi-monthly capsule collections. This keeps the brand’s customer base engaged with their social media presence and on the lookout for teasers announcing upcoming drops, events and contests to win some of the latest swim, fitness and ready-to-wear pieces, said the brand.
When it came to the company business model, Oh Polly also chose to stay current right out of the gate with a social-first structure centered around industry-leading Instagram and Facebook accounts. Often referring to their followers colloquially as “sis,” the founders take a personalized approach with their engagement. Today, the brand has a combined following of five million-plus on social media, selling products in almost every country around the world.
In just a few years since the company’s inception, Oh Polly now has offices in Glasgow, Liverpool, Los Angeles, Dhaka and Guangzhou, with over 200 employees in the U.K. and 300 more directly employed worldwide. Though the company grew at a rapid pace, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Henderson and Branney shared that one of the first suppliers that they trusted stole £30,000 ($40,000 USD) from the brand — which, at the time, was all of their funding.
“The key [to success] is not to quit,” the founders said. “Every successful person hasn’t quit.” And quit they did not. Henderson and Branney persevered through this disappointing low point, and before they knew it, they were back on track — and the numbers quickly began to prove that the brand would go global.
In 2020, Oh Polly launched Bo+Tee, the brand’s much-loved activewear collection, and Neena Swim, the stylish swimwear brand, in 2021. Oh Polly often hosts events that appeal to their social media followers. For example, to announce the latest Bo+Tee drop, the brand held a holiday party in Los Angeles for top social media fitness mavens. Guests were treated with content-creating workshops and were gifted products, which ensured post and tag engagement.
In recognizing the success of coordinating drops around social events, the brand held a festive style and beauty lounge in Palm Springs during Coachella for style influencers and media. As guests lounged poolside, listened to music, sipped cocktails and received festival-themed hair and make-up styling, they were also introduced to and gifted styles from the Oh Polly’s new spring collection, “Primavera,” and the latest Neena Swim collection, “El Mirador.” Made from premium Italian fabric, “El Mirador” has five main benefits for customers, including resistance to UV, sunscreen, oil, chlorine and abrasion. The fabric is also lightweight and offers lots of stretch.
In a full circle moment, the success of Oh Polly’s growth, popularity and journey has enabled Henderson and Branney to provide over £600k in donations to the foundation plus a further £150k to other worthwhile causes.
