My-Wardrobe.com

My-Wardrobe.com was a London-based e-commerce platform that specialized in accessible luxury and contemporary designer fashion. It was established in 2006 by the husband-and-wife team Sarah Curran and Andrew Curran. Sarah Curran, a former journalist, transitioned into fashion retail by first opening a physical boutique named Powder in North London before venturing into the online space. The idea for My-Wardrobe.com was conceived while she was living in rural France and recognized a gap in the online market for diffusion lines and more affordable designer brands, positioned between high-end luxury retailers like Net-a-Porter and fast-fashion sites like ASOS. The business model focused on selling curated collections of designer womenswear, and later menswear, directly to consumers.

The company initially showed strong growth, with sales reaching £13 million by 2011 and securing multiple rounds of funding, including a £6 million Series A in 2010 led by Balderton Capital. My-Wardrobe.com offered pieces from over 200 contemporary designer brands, attracting a significant international customer base. By 2012, the company had expanded with offices in Australia, the Middle East, and Scandinavia. However, the business consistently operated at a loss. A strategic shift towards international expansion and high-profile hires increased operational costs. Co-founder Sarah Curran's role changed to Chief Creative Officer in early 2012 when a new CEO was brought in to accelerate global growth. She eventually departed the company in July 2013. Following her departure, the company faced mounting financial difficulties, leading it to enter administration in November 2013. It was subsequently sold to Growth Capital Acquisitions Limited and underwent restructuring to refocus on the UK market at a lower price point. These efforts proved insufficient, and after a series of leadership changes, including the brief return of co-founder Andrew Curran, the company ceased placing orders for new collections in September 2014. My-Wardrobe.com ultimately shut down its operations in December 2014, and its URL was sold to the Net-a-Porter Group.

Keywords: My-Wardrobe.com, Sarah Curran, Andrew Curran, online fashion retail, luxury e-commerce, contemporary designer brands, Balderton Capital, Net-a-Porter, fashion startup, UK fashion, e-commerce failure, accessible luxury, designer womenswear, online boutique, Growth Capital Acquisitions, fashion retail history