We have been working towards October 18th as a release date for our Luxe clothing line for the best part of a year. This is all geared up to fall inline with our pop-up in John Lewis Leeds which was booked back in February 2021. 

The bright lights of working with the UK's biggest department store has always been a big pull and a major milestone in our story.  

A lot has changed since February though. We have grown not just as a business, but as people too and have spent a lot of the last few months working on who we are as a brand. Mallin & Son as a brand stands for so much more than 'bright lights'. 

The opportunity on offer is something we are extremely grateful for and for us to even be in this position shows we are certainly on the right path. We have decided to decline our pop-up and here's why;

1. Mallin & Son is family business and an independent brand

We have had offers from investors in recent months wanting to take that elsewhere but we have declined to stay true to our ethos. It really is hard for independent brands to thrive against a machine that owns the market. In line with our ethics, we would rather host a pop-up with independent retailers who rely on the extra footfall and income. 

2. We want to stay true to our values

We love what we do but we are a business. To make it financially viable to put our stock in John Lewis (or many other retailers) we would have to drive up the RRP. Our RRP's will always reflect the quality and workmanship that go into our products but they must also reflect our beliefs. The clothing brand was started as need to fulfil our own desires to make clothing that we want to wear. 

This must also be reflective in making clothing that is within our price bracket and reflective of our values. Adding an extra £30 to RRP to make money for the retailer is not representative of those values. 

3. We want to stay true to our customer

We have worked really hard to build a thriving community and take great pride in having so many customers who have taken that journey with us. Placing our brand front and centre on the high street is very likely good for brand awareness and the possibility of bring new customers in. We would rather work harder on the customers we have and build from the inside out, welcoming anyone who would like to join us. 

The cancellation of our pop-up also means that our full range of stock will be available online from October 18th which works better for both us and our customer. 

We hope you understand our reasoning for this and understand that some may consider it insane to turn down John Lewis but it is also insane to start a clothing brand in the midst of a global pandemic.... 

Thank you for your continued support. 

Mallin & Son

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