LONDON — Me+Em founder and chief executive officer Clare Hornby has long been on a mission to get women, especially dress devotees, into trousers — and it’s working.
She’s now building on that success with the launch of Suit Lab, which allows customers to put jackets and trousers together in a variety of ways, online and in-store. She wants women to have at least one suit they can rely on and that makes them feel confident.
In an interview, Hornby said the key to the suit is the shape of the shoulder. “Shoulder ‘science’ is the most important thing,” she said, adding that she sees the suit as the foundation of a capsule wardrobe. “You can buy a matching dress, seven tops and a reversible belt. It means you can pick and mix, make pieces go further and pack quickly,” she said.
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Hornby has always taken a practical approach to design, creating reversible belts; hidden elasticated cuffs on blouses for versatility and comfort, and fabrics that are easy to launder. Lately, she even worked with her osteopath on Me+Em‘s footwear to create a foot- and back-friendly block-heel loafer.
She also sees the Me+Em pieces working together as a modular system so that customers can “buy less and make their pieces work harder.”
Hornby said the company spent a long time on its “suit science,” which helps customers find a tailored silhouette for every shape “with endless mix-and-match options.”
Highlights of the new collection include the Sharp Shoulder suit, which now comes in an Italian jacquard fabric; and the brand’s Oversized blazer, which has been reimagined in a cropped length for an ideal hem-to-waist ratio. New styles include the Slim Contour and Oversized Short blazer.
Those jackets can be paired with a wide range of Me+Em trouser shapes, from the classic wide leg to the straight crop and the kick flare. There is also the Ultimate Wide trouser, and another one called the Leg Elongater, a soft but structured style that’s fitted around the hips before extending into a flare.
Hornby believes her new suits are confidence builders as well as wardrobe builders. She said her designs “come from the heart, and from a desire to enhance what a woman loves about herself.”
Me+Em’s upbeat attitude and practical approach to dressing has been paying dividends. In fiscal 2026, which ended earlier this year, accessories and footwear were a huge area of growth for the business, with a 76 percent increase year-over-year, the company said.
Within those categories, belts and jewelry were the biggest growth-drivers. Belts grew 260 percent compared with the previous year, and jewelry was up 176 percent. The company said accessories have also supported the brand’s “outfit-building proposition,” and there is a direct correlation between the belt and trouser sales.
The brand is planning more store openings this year in Europe and the U.S.
In Europe it will open stores in Bath, England; and Paris. It is also planning a pop-up in Geneva. In the U.S., it has already opened in Stanford, Calif., and is planning a unit in Atlanta. It is also looking at Chicago, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Texas for future openings.
It currently has 10 stand-alone stores in the U.K. and concessions in Selfridges London and Harrods. The brand has six stores in the U.S.: two in New York City; one in Greenwich, Conn.; one in Texas and two in California.
In fiscal 2026 total stores sales grew 46 percent, while U.S. store sales were up 95 percent, year-over-year.
The company’s revenue in fiscal 2025 was up 24 percent to nearly 150 million pounds, driven by the success of the international business. The compound annual growth rate in the three years to 2025 was 46 percent, the company said.
