With eight children between them (Miele Beard has five aged between 14 and 22; Swanson Beard has three aged between 11 and 18), they’re certainly living the same lives as their busy clientele. “We always say we are our customer,” adds Swanson Beard. “Every female designer says that, but we truly do think about them in such a microscopic way, in every detail of the design process.”
Their attention to detail has paid off: since launching in 2010, they’ve become the bestselling brand at US department store Neiman Marcus. Sales for 2023 exceeded £190 million, and with 21 stand-alone stores in the US, their current focus is international expansion. They opened their second London store in August, and now have their sights set on Seoul and Paris.
“We always do a ton of homework before we decide on new categories or new places to sell,” says Miele Beard. “Who’s the woman there? Is she dressing like us and what’s her purpose? And beyond that, what’s the price of silk right now? We don’t build the stadium before the fans. We also do a ton of data study. If the product is not right, it’s not selling. As we’ve been around for 14 years, we realise the number one reason why somebody comes back is fit. If they feel great in this clothing, they’re going to return.”
A month before the Princess of Wales wore one of their dresses, the Duchess of Sussex wore one of their suits during her tour of Colombia with Prince Harry. “Our customer loved seeing both women,” smiles Miele Beard. “We are agnostic as to the politics of those two. We love all women and celebrate all women.”
