On International Women’s Day Underlines catches up with Mel Marsden – not only a business owner, she is a mum of two, the ultimate advocate for women and a trailblazer in the lingerie industry. The growth of Lounge is testament to Mel’s visionary leadership and commitment to empowering women worldwide. Mel continues to drive the business forward and is passionate about being a champion of working mums. Since the company’s launch in 2016 the company has expanded meteorically – from an e-commerce operation that has now started its roll out of shop openings in the UK.
Mel Marsden in store (London)
Life before Lounge?
My co-founder and husband Dan and I had previously set up a small fashion boutique that offered off-the-line dresses and clothing after leaving university. After learning so much from how we ran the brand and its platforms, we decided to take the leap in building something special from scratch and designing our own product. I have always been a creative person, into musical theatre, dance, writing and just basically seeing the world through a creative lens.
Why intimate apparel?
Honestly, we fell into it. We wanted to create a brand and a product that would be instantly recognisable and build a brand that people could connect with straightaway – and after a ton of brainstorms, underwear was something we gravitated towards from the get-go; it all just fell into place and felt so natural. We felt we could really make an impact within the industry and the brand and our vision grew rapidly from there.
What is different about working in the underwear market?
Underwear is intimate. It’s a second skin and something that can immediately change your mood. So to be a brand that can have such an impact on that feeling for a woman is truly special and a reality that drives me to continue building a brand that puts its customer and community at the heart of everything we do.
Where do you get your ideas?
Everything we do has and always will be driven simply by what we feel passionate about and feel like connects with the brand and our community. We’ve always driven the company in a way where we are bold in our approach and own our space…never getting distracted by what other players in the space are doing and instead having full confidence in our mission and vision and never settling.
For me personally, ideas are everywhere. They’re in a message from a community member, a comment on Instagram, in a room full of creatives who are buzzing with vision, or in people watching, experiencing a feeling in a totally random situation and morphing that into something that is relevant to the brand.
A Typical Week?
Wow – is there a typical week!? I spin a lot of plates between Lounge and motherhood and definitely always have to be prepared to pivot, jump into new priorities and adapt my plans. I have always been the kind of founder who loves to be embedded in the details, so working closely with my teams and key humans, taking out time for one-to-one meetings and collaborative sessions is a big part of what I do. I like to keep connected to all parts of the business, the way our teams work together and connect is part of the brand’s superpower, but most of my time is definitely focused on brand, product and marketing – creative approach is my bread and butter.
I also have two beautiful children, so whilst driving vision and next steps for the brand is a big part of my week, so are my little ones. So you’ll definitely also catch me at a soft play, at the park, or taking a stroll around the block to see the lambs.
I’m up early, always on, as both a mother and a founder and sometimes I do question whether my 24/7 life can sometimes get a bit too heavy – but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I get a sort of a thrill from living a life on a constant treadmill, it’s almost like a sense of adrenaline and energy that’s always pulsing away.
Barely There plunge bra & thong - sold out before customers even saw it!
Barely There - launched for sale on 6th March but sold out in 24 hours
Who wears your collections?
We’ve had some incredible faces in the brand including Miley Cyrus, Sophie Turner and Vanessa Hudgens. We work closely with partners across the globe, they’re an extension of our brand and our community, and help us to tell the story of the brand through their own aesthetic and style.
Describe the essence of the collections?
Lounge is timeless, confident and clean. Comfort Made Sexy lives and breathes in all our collections, and everything we do is designed to empower women through our luxury and premium designs, to make her feel confident and sexy in everything that she is. Lounge starts and ends a woman’s day with a feeling, it’s not just underwear, it’s her secret weapon, it’s her hidden superpower, and it makes her feel special even in the most basic of sets, the comfort and luxury of Lounge is everything.
“it’s not just underwear, it’s her secret weapon, it’s her hidden superpower”
Any other ambitions for the brand?
We’re building something special. The brand is more than just its product, it is a feeling, it is a community. My ambition for the brand is for it to become a true household name, to lead the way in innovation within the underwear industry, and by that I don’t just mean product innovation, I mean through storytelling, community, customer communications, experiences for our team, how we work with partners and beyond. We want to be the biggest and the best and we’re not stopping here.
Our growth in Europe is exciting, our product strategy is reaching new heights and is definitely going to keep our community and our competitors on their toes, and our CSR work with the launch of The Lounge Foundation is only in its infancy. It feels like an incredibly poignant, transformative time for the brand and with every big moment the ambition only grows bigger.
“We want to be the biggest and the best and we’re not stopping here”
Proudest Moment to Date?
Our FeelYourBreast campaign is something I’m incredibly proud of. In 5 years we’ve raised over £1 million pounds for our partner charities and put our hearts and souls into raising awareness of why it’s so important to check your breasts and be aware of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. This is definitely a biggie and something that people will always talk about in association to the brand as something that stands out to them, and this means so much to me!
But there are also smaller proud moments every single day that in ways mean just as much to me – quick conversations with the team that end in lightbulb moments, signing of special campaigns, watching people grow and develop and that glint in someone’s eye when they come up with something epic. I thrive off the people around me and love motivating people and working collaboratively to being game changing experiences to life… and considering I definitely wasn’t a youngster who was filled with confidence and definitely never the loudest person in the room, I am proud of myself for working on just that and becoming the type of leader I always wanted to be…and now prioritising developing and inspiring the young people I work with every day to do the same.
Lounge’s FeelYourBreast campaign has raised over £1million so far
Worst Move so far?
This is so tricky to answer. I feel as though all the moves we make, good or bad, are part of the story of the brand and we wouldn’t be what we are today without them.
Something that does however stand out in my mind is the way my life played out after giving birth to my first child. I was definitely not prepared for how my life would change and put a lot of pressure on myself to keep running hard and fast in my role as CBO whilst falling madly in love with my little girl and figuring out motherhood.
My mental health wasn’t great, I worked crazy hours, hadn’t set myself up to take any reasonable time out, and learning how my new life looked balancing motherhood and Lounge was just all in all a little bit crazy.
I don’t really have any regrets, it taught me so much about myself and how passionate and determined I am about being the absolute best I can be in both versions of myself…but it’s definitely something I look back on and realise it wasn’t my best move to date.
Time Out?
My bed with a good brew. It’s my happy place.
Pet Hate?
People who are rude to people unnecessarily. I’m a big believer in showing respect to your peers, to strangers, to people who pass you by. It costs nothing to smile or be kind.
