Direct-to-consumer swimwear brand Andie has acquired basics label Richer Poorer, marking a strategic step in its evolution into a broader lifestyle company. The acquisition follows Richer Poorer’s brief two-year stint under the ownership of mall retailer Francesca’s, which had purchased the brand in 2023.
Richer Poorer, founded in 2010 by Iva Pawling and Timothy Morse, offers minimalist apparel and essentials for both men and women.
It will now be integrated into Andie’s e-commerce platform, giving the brand access to improved merchandising, fulfillment, and inventory management capabilities.
Andie CEO Melanie Travis described Richer Poorer as a natural fit for Andie’s long-term ambitions to become a “multi-brand, multi-category lifestyle business.”
“Customers won’t see big changes — we love the brand and the product, and that’s why we bought it,” Travis said in a statement.
“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.”
While there is some product overlap between the two brands, particularly in the intimates category, the businesses will operate separately for now, Travis confirmed in an email.
“We’ll take a closer look at the category and product overlap over time and likely streamline it eventually, but we don’t have a set timeline for that just yet,” she added.
The integration into Andie’s infrastructure is expected to improve customer acquisition and operational efficiency for Richer Poorer, which will retain its distinct brand identity.
Andie, launched in 2017 as a women’s swimwear brand, has steadily broadened its offerings in recent years.
It introduced a line of intimates in 2021 and, in March 2025, debuted its Wave Maker Incubator, a semi-annual program designed to support women-led businesses with mentorship and operational resources.
The Richer Poorer deal reflects Andie’s ongoing expansion strategy, which includes both internal brand development and selective acquisitions.
“We always look at opportunities through a build-versus-buy lens,” Travis said. “Sometimes it makes more sense to create something ourselves, other times it’s better to acquire a brand that’s already built strong customer love — as we determined was the case here.
“Ultimately, our goal is to serve women with the products they’re looking for across their wardrobe.”
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
