PDS’s Poeticgem acquires Little Mistress, founder Ashton to stay at helm

Little Mistress’s brand intellectual property (IP) has been sold to Poeticgem Group, the retail design and sourcing solutions company that’s part of PDS Limited. It means it joins a giant global group with PDS being the major end-to-end partner of Ted Baker, among others.

The deal will see Poeticgem owning various brands under the Little Mistress banner. It will design, source and distribute the portfolio worldwide and the business said the move “underscores the commitment of the company to deliver high-quality experiences across the fashion value chain, to its global customers”.

Thirteen-year-old Little Mistress is known for its women’s occasionwear, including its bridesmaid dresses, as well as its casual daywear. It’s also a major white-label brands provider for the high street. 

The new deal sees its CEO and founder Mark Ashton joining Poeticgem and continuing to be “responsible for driving the brand under a new trading name of Moda & Beyond within the Poeticgem umbrella”.

Poeticgem’s MD Anuj Banaik, said Ashton and his team are “a perfect match with our ethos and values. This aligns seamlessly with our overarching vision for the brand’s business, which revolves around providing exceptional and unique fashion experiences to our valued clientele”.

And Ashton himself highlighted his company’s “remarkable short lead capability” that will be enhanced by the “sound financial backing of Poeticgem Group”.

He also pointed to Little Mistress’s “successful history of collaboration with Sainsbury’s amongst others, having recently curated and launched the Vogue Williams x Little Mistress X Sainsbury collection. Together, these partnerships underscore our commitment to innovation”.