This is Iris has expanded its portfolio, teaming with fashion brand Their Nibs for a new partnership.
Created in 2003 by Fiona Bell, a former fashion buyer and head of womenswear at Laura Ashley, Their Nibs has blossomed from its early days as a boutique store in Notting Hill into an online destination for lovers of inspired prints. In 2014, Fiona met Sia Smith who came on board as designer for the brand.
The brand has an engaged social media following, with its online collections repeatedly selling out and a partnership with John Lewis – which began in 2020 – exceeding all expectations.
Notably, its Untamed Cheetah print continues to be a John Lewis bestseller and is included in the retailer’s top ten best selling prints of 2021.
“We practice slow design here at Their Nibs,” Sia explained. “This means we’re not about fast fashion – we’re about quality and practical pieces that are long lasting, both by being good value and sustained use.
“We create prints to be cherished that are timeless, along with styles that are to be worn. A lot… over many early nights, late mornings, holidays and days spent in the house. We don’t follow trends or seasons as such, and we hope anything you purchase from us has a long, useful and loved life span with you.”
Sia continued: “We, here at Their Nibs, are so delighted to be exploring the opportunities of licensing in the capable hands of Sarah and Kaye from This Is Iris. It is so enjoyable to be bringing our fellow print lovers our print designs on amazing new products, manufactured by specialists in their fields.”
Sarah Lawrence from This is Iris added: “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Fiona & Sia and we thank Sara Levy, their marketing manager for bringing us all together at the start of the year.
“Though a tough year at retail with many ongoing challenges ahead, the way in which Their Nibs have been able to continue to deliver new collections into store and to their customers direct, as well as taking on requests from our first wave of licensees has been amazing, very impressive. We are very excited about the current wave of discussions taking place and we look forward to announcing a number of new partnerships ahead of Top Drawer and Spring Fair.”
The first licensee to join the Their Nibs UK programme is Art Cushions.
The company’s Mark Turner commented: “We’re delighted to have worked with Iris Licensing to bring the fun designs of Their Nibs to our range from AW21. “We hope the interiors sector will love the diverse patterns and colours that the Their Nibs brand represent across our range of cushions, deckchairs, stools, lampshades and other interior accessories.”
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