David Nieper founders receive Lifetime Achievement honour

Founders of British fashion brand, David Nieper, and his son, Christopher Nieper,

have been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards, for their outstanding contribution to “British fashion and the home shopping industry”.

The father and son team, were recognised for their 50-year commitment to British-designed and British-made fashion, as well as the success of the David Nieper brand, which is sold direct-to-consumers in the UK and overseas.

David Nieper established his namesake company in 1961, designing and manufacturing luxury lingerie and nightwear in Alfreton, Derbyshire. His son, Christopher joined the company in 1986, is the current managing director, while David remains the company’s creative director. The company exports over a third of its British-made fashion globally, with France providing the company’s biggest overseas market.

Receiving the award, Christopher Nieper, said: “It was a huge surprise to receive the award on the night and it's wonderful for our company to be recognised for its longstanding commitment to British-made fashion.

“The award is also for my father, the founder of our company and each and every member of staff – many of whom have been with us for over 25 years, it's their skills and commitment which has made the business what it is today.”

The ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards, now in its 16th year, celebrates the success of home shopping businesses across 25 categories. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises outstanding individual contributions to the sector, and has been presented to only eight people in the past, including Chrissie Rucker of The White Company, Nick Wheeler of Charles Tyrwhitt, and Fran Cotton and Steve Smith joint founders of Cotton Traders.