Female entrepreneurs agree sale of world-leading, British apparel brand.
The UK-based sports underwear brand, Derriere Equestrian Ltd, has reached a new and exciting stage in its evolution, with its sale to young British entrepreneur, Laura Thyer. Oxfordshire-based Laura has
been associated with the brand as an ambassador since 2015, and in 2020 started advising on the brand's finances. Outgoing Derriere CEO Claire Galer lead the brand to international success.
Exciting news for stakeholders and retailers
Laura Thyer is thrilled at the prospect of driving Derriere's continued growth within the specialist apparel manufacture, retail and export industry, and proud to be a passionate young woman at the helm of a thriving business. Around one in three UK business owners is a woman, illustrating that the gender gap in the British business world is steadily closing; "Most of the Derriere workforce are women, and I am proud to be an independent female capitalising on our intuition, drive for equity, and empathetic, end-user focus," adds the 29 year old Chartered Certified Accountant.
Laura may be one of an increasing number of millennials becoming executive company directors of small enterprises, but has her sights set on driving the brand to a larger market capitalisation, within which sector, most CEOs are twenty years her senior, and predominantly male. (At the end of 2019, 29% of all senior management roles, , globally, were fulfilled by women.)
Industry accolades
The iconic brand has a strong following. Derriere Equestrian has won many accolades since its inception eight years ago, including the prestigious, national SME FedEx Business Award in 2016, when judges recognised the company's 'desire to grow and become a global company'. The brand realised its international ambitions shortly thereafter. Within the equestrian sector, Derriere has been presented with numerous undergarment product honours, as well as a clutch of awards including Southern Enterprise Awards' Best Clothing & Accessories Business, and the prestigious Silver Innovation Award from the world's leading equestrian trade show, SPOGA Horse.
Strong opportunities ahead
As a part-time model and dressage rider, incoming CEO Laura had previously won the brand's inaugural 'Derriere Equestrian Model of The Year' competition in 2015, going onto become the face and lead model of the brand; she knew the time was right for this new direction when Claire approached her about the acquisition of the brand. "I feel that I can bring a strong sense of business and finance acumen to the role, combined with my extensive lived experience," Laura says.
Laura adds that 2023 will see some impactful changes to the Oxfordshire-based apparel brand, including some subtle brand development, a renewed focus on sustainability, and inroads into the
wider sporting underwear and athleisure-wear market. Derriere manufactures a range of garments including underwear and active wear; it's hero products are the Performance Padded Pantys and the Padded Shortys, which boast a Padded Support System to protect the sportsperson's perineal area from friction and discomfort.
Clients should contact the Derriere Equestrian Ltd team at hq@derriereequestrian.com / +44 (0) 1608 656 379 /
www.derriereequestrian.com