Meet the brand
Frugi opened its doors in 2004. Today, it’s the UK’s leading organic children's clothing brand. With a steadfast focus on protecting the environment and reducing waste, their aim is to produce durable kids’ clothing using organic materials from trusted sources. While many sustainable brands are known for drab, dull colors and materials, Frugi’s products are immediately recognizable thanks to their bright, fun, colorful designs.
The brand only uses organic cotton from farmers they trust, and their outerwear is made from recycled plastic bottles. Frugi's main purpose is to inspire every human to love and protect the planet they play on. Their target audience consists of gift shoppers buying clothing for their families or the children within their close-knit social circles. On the wholesale side, Frugi also focuses on serving buyers in search of great children’s apparel with trustworthy eco-credentials.
They currently sell their products in 30 different countries to more than 120 stores, including Next, John Lewis, M&S, and Zalando.
Prioritizing long-term wins in wholesale
Frugi offered wholesale right from the start, and they’re grateful to still be partnered with some of their original wholesale stockists from 20 years ago. As an eCommerce-centric business, they acknowledge wholesale is an essential part of their business. Consumers can get familiar with the feel and quality of the products when they discover their products offline.
The UK brand’s approach to building a successful wholesale footprint is to maintain great relationships with existing retailers, while carefully choosing new partners that also align with their values. They also ensure new partnerships won’t encroach on existing relationships. Like in everything they do, Frugi aims to develop a sustainable model when it comes to wholesale, adopting a mindset that focuses on lasting relationships and long-term success for all.
That’s why Frugi also puts data and tech to work to collaborate successfully with buyers. They send retailers NuORDER Campaigns to showcase products in strategic curations, especially for in-season sales outside of market weeks. Frugi also works with buyers to create custom lists. Buyers share their draft orders with the children’s brand and offer suggestions. Then their team goes on to review each buyer’s order draft before final submission. It’s a personal touch that both elevates the buying experience and presents opportunities to identify any SKUs or categories that might have been overlooked.
The brand also puts NuORDER to work at trade shows, at showroom appointments and virtually. They find it offers a seamless way to showcase their collections consistently. They’ve also used the wholesale platform to streamline some of their backend operations, including uploading orders and creating invoices.
Wrap up
Frugi began with a vision of building a world without waste, while producing fun, durable clothing for children. Just as they take a sustainable approach for their products, they apply the same concept to their B2B pursuits — nurturing relationships with their wholesale partners so that both the brand and retailers’ businesses can continue to flourish.
By focusing on maintaining relationships with their long-standing retailers and being selective about new partnerships, Frugi manages to operate successfully in 30 different countries with some of the world’s most highly respected retailers.
