Boohoo to keep Nasty Gal and PrettyLittleThing separate from core brand

London - In spite of Boohoo.com plc recent acquisitions of Nasty Gal and PrettyLittleThings, the fashion company aims to continue operating its brands as separate entities and ensure each brand retains its core identity.

The move comes after the Manchester-based etailer acquired PrettyLittleThingd in December 2016 for 3.3 million pounds. Then in February 2017, Boohoo announced it has finalised its acquisition of the intellectual property rights and customer database for bankrupted US fashion etailer Nasty Gal for 16 million pounds. Now moving forward, co-chief executive officer Carol Kane confirms Boohoo aim of keeping the brands separate as to not confuse its customers.

"We have three creative teams, three buying teams. They all have their own designers and marketing so we keep the labels all very separate," said Kane to Drapers. "The only thing that’s combined is the back end, warehousing and customer service. We don’t want to pool resources from any of the brands. The customer doesn’t know they are all under our umbrella – like they don’t know that Pull & Bear and Zara are both owned by Inditex."

Kane stresses that there is also a difference in each of the brands' target customers, which is another reason why Boohoo strives to keep the brands separate from each other. "Boohoo is for a younger shopper. Nasty Gal is a bit older, vintage inspired and more edgy. PrettyLittleThing is full on dressing up and sassy." In order to maintain Nasty Gal's brand authenticity, Boohoo has spilt its brand team across the UK and Los Angeles.

Following Boohoo's acquisition of Nasty Gal, the Manchester-based fashion company has begun to trial the label's presence in the UK by offering approximately 1,200 pieces online. "It largely has a US following but we’re testing the market here now," said Kane, who added that the brand already has some fans over in the UK. At the same time, Boohoo is busy trying to lift Nasty Gal to its former glory in the US while boosting the brand's presences across the country.

Nasty Gal was first founded in 2006 by Sophia Amoruso, following the success of her second-hand fashion eBay store. The fashion brand quickly became famous for its vintage-inspired, edgy offering and moved into brick and mortar stores, before filing for bankruptcy in 2016. PrettyLittleThing was founded in 2012 as an accessories only website by Umar Kamani, the son of Boohoo's co-chief executive Mahmud Kamani. However, following the brand's initial success, it rapidly expanded to offer trend driven styles to women across the globe.

Photos: Boohoo.com