Italian omnichannel multibrand fashion and luxury retailer Modes is seeking a strategic partner to bolster the next phase of its growth, after carrying out an in-depth internal reorganisation, and implementing measures to improve its operational, logistics and structural efficiency. Modes is “focused on sustainability, innovation and avant-garde collaborations, and is interested in finding investors willing to acquire a stake in the company,” said Modes CEO Simon Whitehouse, formerly the CEO of, among others, JW Anderson and Reference Studios, speaking to FashionNetwork.com. Whitehouse took charge of Modes in March this year. “We’re open to various forms of collaboration, even with an industrial partner,” said Whitehouse.

“All the multibrand [retailers], whether direct e-tailers or marketplaces, that cornered a high percentage of the e-tail market in the 15-16 years before 2020, gradually went on to became unicorns dominating their specific segment, and I’m talking about names like LuisaViaRoma, Farfetch, Matches.com, and Net-a-Porter. Then came the pandemic,” said Whitehouse. He went on to explain that “it’s a well-known fact that physical retail came to a total stop during the lockdowns. While e-tail boomed, growing at rates of 40 to 50%. In 2023, everyone wanted to maintain the same market share they previously had, and went on sourcing the same volume of goods. But in 2022-2023, human beings started to crave the physical shopping experience again, and to prioritise in-store shopping once more. It was a crash, a dramatic collapse for the sector. I believe that the chronology of these events, and their profound social impact, has never been analysed and defined in detail. I’m reading plenty of articles about changes in shopping behaviour, or about China’s problems. It’s all true and relevant, but what really affected the industry was the paradigmatic shift caused by the pandemic, with the rift between physical and online retail, between brick-and-mortar stores and e-tailers.”
 
Whitehouse observed that “the pure-players that were already doing sizeable business in 2019 leapt further forward in 2021, creating a new model. Then, in 2023-24, they imploded, like Farfetch, now on the brink of default, or Matches.com, which closed down. In all of this Modes, which has developed a thriving online business, has also been in some ways affected by the changes occurring in the last 18 months. Now we need a macro vision, with an outlook for at least the next five years. And while the luxury sector is facing a global slowdown, we want to focus on the growth of our omni-channel business, and possibly open the door to external investors.”

Modes has a highly curated e-tail site, which was recently made easier to navigate, featuring exclusive collaborations with labels such as Jacquemus and The Attico. The company operates seven physical stores between Milan, St. Moritz, Cagliari, Porto Cervo, Portofino and Forte dei Marmi, plus the Mini_Modes boutique dedicated to children’s fashion, opened in the heart of Milan’s Brera district, “which is doing phenomenal business,” according to Whitehouse. “Our corners in seasonal stores enable us to engage in extremely interesting strategic partnerships, which can introduce brands to a new clientèle or, via our collaborations, reach prestigious locations where certain brands might not otherwise be able to set foot,” he added. The Modes community now includes more than 80,000 loyal customers, within a CRM database that connects the company to a high-profile audience.
 
Modes’s core business is women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, through long-standing partnerships with labels such as Chloé, Alaïa, The Row and Dries Van Noten. Recently, Modes has broadened its assortment to include brands “that I would define as athletics or sportswear, such as Hoka, On, and Salomon. These brands are an expression of how society at large has chosen to dress in recent years, how people are dressing today,” said Whitehouse. “Our selection is focused on the current lifestyle and cultural attitude of modern, progressive people, rather than on a specific demographic,” he added.
 
Modes also exclusively commercialises a number of emerging labels, such as Christopher Raxxy and EBIT (enjoy being in transition), the brand founded by Whitehouse himself. “My label’s name is intended to subvert the EBIT financial acronym, earnings before interest and taxes. At its deepest level, EBIT is a reflection on how capitalism is affecting mental health in society, and how fashion, music, and art too have been instrumental in this,” said Whitehouse.

Modes is now a financially sustainable company. Its evolution indeed hinges on sustainability, embodied in its own label Modes_Garments, a collection of timeless classics made with eco-responsible fabrics and partners. “Our private label [Modes_Garments] was born a year and a half ago and is gradually becoming a significant element of Modes’s portfolio. In one year, its revenue has doubled,” said Whitehouse. “In addition, one of its sustainability partners is Woolmark.”
 
Another important development for Modes was in fact its recent selection as official retail partner of the International Woolmark Prize (IWP), one of the green fashion calendar’s most prestigious events. “For the first time ever, in spring 2025 the IWP ceremony will be held in Milan and not in London. We are extremely proud to be this initiative’s new retail partner, further strengthening Modes’s role as an advocate of sustainable luxury,” concluded Whitehouse.