This Friday we catch up with Priya Downes, CEO and Founder of Nudea underwear. Originally her working life was in finance and then working with luxury fashion brands before setting up the Nudea brand in 2019 prior to the pandemic. Since inception her focus has been on social accountability (the company is B Corp Certified) and sustainability…but let’s hear her inspirational story!
Your previous life?
I’ve had an unusual career path starting in finance and strategy (MBA from INSEAD, 4 years at the World Bank) and then moving to luxury fashion merchandising (9+ years in senior positions at luxury fashion brands including Burberry, Chanel & Fiorucci) prior to founding Nudea in 2019.
My role working for the World Bank focused on poverty and environmental projects, and I became a pioneer and champion for the importance of sustainability in fashion well before sustainability was what it was today. I’ve been able to bring this expertise to the world of commerce when I was creating Nudea with sustainability at its heart.
I also believe that having a non-linear background has meant that I’ve been able to bring varied skills to the business and I’m able to look at problems from a different perspective.
How did the brand start and when did you start working on it?
I founded Nudea in 2019 which was my first experience launching my own business. Coming from a background in luxury goods, I have a keen eye for well-made product that is beautiful, long-lasting and designed to be worn with pride. I always felt that my underwear was an afterthought to my outwear. All brides know that a dress can’t look its best without a proper bra, but that’s true of any outfit. ‘Quad boob’, poking wires, falling straps and ridgey-bras under shirts aren’t a great look, yet we all seem to put up with it to some extent. I wanted to change that, and empower women like myself to feel their best every day.
I have always been disappointed by what was on offer in the bra market, something that I wear and have worn every day of my life since I was a teenager. I saw the opportunity to leverage my skills to create something truly unique; modern essentials and an experience that makes women fall in love with underwear again.
Nudea Seamless (in Tencel)
Where do you look for design inspiration?
Nudea’s design ethos is contemporary, modern and sleek. Our signature is geometric, linear and clean. My inspiration is drawn more from the art deco world than traditional floral lace. In fact, our Sheer Deco range name was inspired by Art Deco! I also love drawing ideas from sportswear (which also has the bonus of being usually more practical too with performance stretch fabrics and sweat wicking). I love stripes, hexagons and lines – maybe that’s my inner maths geek coming out.
What is different about designing your products?
First and foremost, we create proper underwear designed to fit in a wide range of sizes for everyday wear made to be kinder to the planet. This means both wired and non-wired support that is engineered with the wearer and their everyday needs in mind. Longevity and product care are details we painstakingly go to efforts to get right. For example, all our packaging, right from gusset stickers to plastic kimbles that attach the garment tag, is all plastic free.
We engineer the fit, fabric and functionality of every single piece to ensure it’s a worthy investment, so you can spend wisely knowing you’re getting the right fit. While Nudea’s signature multiway straps also allow for easy styling, providing halterneck, crossback and straight strap options giving wearers more versatility and longevity.
What are the highlights of your collection?
Non-wired support even for bigger busts. Lockdown and its long-lasting effects have been that customers want comfort first. This means non-wired bras are outselling wired and our fuller bust bralette, The Easy Does It F+, is engineered for smoothing, supporting and flattering your outwear without compromising on comfort. Our non-wired ranges are expanding and we are really excited to be introducing more colours and fabrics. We recently launched our Tencel seamless range, our most sustainable collection yet, which has been a big hit amongst our customer base.
I also personally love our monogram mesh, it’s our own signature bespoke mesh recycled fabric in really beautiful colours which are sophisticated yet romantic.
Monogram mesh
What do you read and whom do you follow in social media to keep ahead of trends?
Obviously I read Underlines religiously to see what’s happening in the lingerie industry specifically as well as Drapers, Industry of Fashion and Vogue Business for the wider fashion industry.
I also have a huge collection of American Vogue magazines going all the way back to when it started in 1892 and I tend to find inspiration in vintage and older editions.
When it comes to fashion trends – I’m much more of a believer of classic pieces you can wear over and over again. So for me, I watch trends about consumer shopping habits as they affect my business, but I don’t let fashion fads influence my choices in product. I love classic all year round colours and shapes that stand the test of time.
With a background in ready-to-wear, I’m a fashion girl at heart and love the great luxury brands – Chanel, Hermes and Burberry – not because they are trend setting but because they create the classics. The iconic trench coat or the flap bag that never goes out of style – that’s what I aspire to create; classic underwear that stands the test of time.
Describe the person who wears your designs: what is their style?
Our customer is sophisticated in an understated way. She doesn’t have time to be uncomfortable and wants to throw on a bra she can rely on for her day at the office, or to travel on a plane, or for spending time with her kids. She wants style that inspires confidence and cool vs sexualised glamour. She prefers contemporary classics that are well made and cares about how and where it’s made.
A Typical Week in your life
Like many other entrepreneurs, there is no typical week and a small start-up that involves mucking in at all levels.
The start of the week usually involves looking at last week’s trading numbers, followed by spending time with customer service, often replying to queries myself. I could then be visiting a factory on Wednesday, back in town for a Board meeting Thursday and selling and speaking to customers at a pop-up on Friday.
Every week is insanely busy and very diverse, but incredibly FUN. I love the unpredictability that comes with running a start-up.
Your proudest moment to date?
For the business, I think that achieving B Corp Certification so early in the brand’s journey. We achieved the certification in March 2022, with an exemplary B Impact Score of 103*. B Corp is one of the most demanding certifications that evaluates brands’ social and environmental impact, with over 300 questions on governance, workers, communities and impact on the environment.
We’re really proud… to be a part of this drive for change in the fashion industry and to change the world, one bra at a time.
It was the result of collective work at Nudea that started in April 2021 and through 10 months of rigorous auditing and legals. We’re really proud to be one of only three UK underwear brands to have met the rigorous social and environmental standards set by B Lab, and to be a part of this drive for change in the fashion industry and to change the world, one bra at a time.
We’ve recently been awarded Best Sustainable Underwear Brand in the Marie Claire 2022 Sustainability Awards as well as New Brand of the Year in the Drapers Independents Awards, it’s really great to get recognition within the industry for the work that we’re doing.
Your next big challenge?
We’re launching our first line of sleepwear later this year, it’s incredibly exciting to be starting in a new category as well as a steep learning curve at the same time.
Also navigating turbulent times, the way consumers shop is changing so much faster than we could ever have predicted pre-covid, and this is not helped by macro factors such as the economy. We are really excited to have recently launched in the US and are ready for the challenges that brings.
Nudea Second Skin
Your worst move so far?
Concluding on things too hastily; as an entrepreneur it’s natural to want to move fast and make quick decisions and even more rapid conclusions. In an external environment where the consumer’s landscape is shifting so rapidly, it’s tempting to try and stay ahead of the pace. Patience and remaining steadfast is important, sometimes things just take time to play out.
What do you hope to achieve?
To be the go-to brand for great everyday underwear. To empower women to be their best selves. Nothing makes me happier than hearing from our customers about how our bras have changed their lives, and I want to share that feeling with as many people as possible.
What about time out?
Sadly I don’t have much free time with 3 young kids and a growing business.. The older I get, and the more we know about how rapidly climate change is affecting our lives, the more personal pressure I feel to change my own life to do my bit to prolong it for my own children as much as possible. I took up beekeeping in lockdown and now we have 10 hives as I was inspired to act after learning much more about the importance of bees on our ecosystem. I’ve grown to love the time out I get from the responsibility and the learning about these fascinating creatures that has come from it – and the best part is sharing it with my young kids. Honey production is fast becoming a side hustle!
*The median score for ordinary businesses who complete the B Impact assessment is 50.9 and over 80 qualifies for B Corp certification.
