US' Andie buys Richer Poorer to strengthen multi-brand growth strategy

Fibre2Fashion

14-05-2025

Andie, the direct-to-consumer swimwear brand known for premium one-piece suits designed for all body types, announces today the acquisition of California-based essentials label Richer Poorer. The deal marks Andie's first acquisition and a major step toward its vision of becoming a multi-brand, multi-category lifestyle business.
Founded in 2017 by chief executive Melanie Travis, Andie quickly rose to prominence with its flattering, high-quality swimwear, beloved for its inclusive fit and elevated design. Last year, Travis began exploring category expansion into seasonless, everyday apparel that aligned with the brand's coastal chic aesthetic. As she pursued an acquisition strategy, she came to learn that Richer Poorer — a brand she had long admired — might be interested in selling.
Andie, the direct-to-consumer swimwear brand, has acquired California-based essentials label Richer Poorer, marking its first acquisition. Richer Poorer will remain a standalone brand, benefitting from Andie's strong e-commerce operations to improve merchandising, site experience, and fulfilment. Both brands will cross-promote products to expand customer reach.
"When I saw that possibility, it immediately clicked," said Travis . "I've been a longtime fan and customer, and the brand had everything we were envisioning—elevated basics, comfort, wearability, and a loyal customer base. It felt like a natural extension of Andie."
Richer Poorer was founded in 2010 by Iva Pawling and Timothy Morse and became known for its effortlessly cool wardrobe staples. In 2023, the brand was acquired by mall chain Francesca's. Two years later, Francesca's was ready to part ways — creating the perfect opportunity for Andie to step in and carry the brand forward.
With this acquisition, Richer Poorer will now be folded into Andie's high-performing e-commerce operations, enabling the brand to better leverage data to drive customer acquisition, optimize inventory, and accelerate growth.
Travis emphasized that Richer Poorer will continue to operate as a standalone brand, with its identity and product focus intact. "Customers won't see big changes — we love the brand and the product, and that's why we bought it. But we're going to bring fresh energy through a sharper merchandising lens, a best-in-class site experience, fewer stockouts, and faster fulfillment. What customers love about Richer Poorer will remain, just supported by a stronger operational backbone."
As part of the integration, each brand will begin to feature select products from the other on their respective websites. The goal is to create meaningful cross-discovery between two highly aligned customer bases: modern, intentional shoppers who prioritize comfort, quality, and style.
"This isn't about restructuring — it's about scaling," added Travis . "We've spent eight years building a lean, powerful operation at Andie. Now we get to apply that model to more than just swim. It's the next chapter, and I couldn't be more excited."
This move reflects a broader trend in the direct-to-consumer space, where consolidation has become a strategic path to scale as brands face rising acquisition costs, fierce competition for consumer attention, and mounting pressure for profitability. Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)