Daryl-Ann Denner, an influencer-turned-founder, came up with the concept for her cheekily named apparel brand, Nuuds, after noticing a market gap.
After struggling to find a brand that offered fashion staples for herself and the women in her family, who shop in a variety of sizes, Denner saw a prime opportunity to create a brand with pieces that felt so comfortable they would feel like a second skin.
In 2022, Denner officially launched Nuuds into the market, and it quickly developed a cult following, with an 80 per cent customer return rate.
This year, Nuuds went live with its first wholesale partnership with American retail giant Nordstrom.
As of March 14, Nuuds will be available on Nordstrom’s digital site and in select store locations across the country, including Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado.
Inside Retail connected with Denner to discuss the origin story behind Nuuds and how the brand partnership represents a full-circle moment in her retail career.
Inside Retail: How did you come up with the name of your brand, Nuuds?
Daryl-Ann Denner: We had everything for our brand figured out. The product was designed and ready to order; the brand colors were chosen; all decisions had been made except one… the name! We waited until the absolute last minute, the moment we had to put a company name down to place the order for the product, to figure out the name for our clothing line and sat at the table as a family, brainstorming.
We were throwing around ideas as a family, and the name “nudes” came up. We knew we would be launching as a neutrals line, but more than that, a line for basics and everyday essentials, so it felt like an interesting starting point. We played around with the spelling, and that’s how we landed on “nuuds.”
It’s funny now to think that we ever had a different name, because the name immediately became such an important part of our brand identity! We love how cheeky the name is. It has brought so much character to the way we get to do marketing.
IR: In a hyper-saturated space such as the apparel retail industry, how does Nuuds fill in a white space? What are the brand’s main differentiator points?
DAD: One of our biggest strengths is that we entered the industry as customers, not experts. Over the years of building our online community, we kept hearing the same themes in conversations. Some brands worked for some bodies, but it was rare to find one that felt like an easy win for quite literally any body.
My mom, my sisters and I are all an array of sizes, and we were all ordering our clothes from different companies. We were constantly sharing our finds, but noting that no one brand would work for all of us. That conversation was the first time we asked, “Wait, why does it seem like no one else is thinking about this?”
We design for real people. We won’t launch something if it looks good but doesn’t hold up in quality. We don’t move forward if the material feels scratchy or cheap. Our goal has always been to simplify getting dressed and give real women a closet full of pieces they feel good in every day, not just on the “right” day.
While the fashion industry is known for having a “you can’t sit with us” mentality, Nuuds has always existed to say “you can sit with us”.
IR: What have been the main challenges you have come across while building your brand thus far? How did you navigate these issues?
DAD: The week we launched Nuuds was the first time we realized, “Oh wow, this is going to be a big deal.” I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so we’ve always had a lot of ideas, but Nuuds began more as a passion project than a business venture. It has been amazing, unexpected and refining to scale at the pace we have. We are so grateful to be trusted and supported by our community.
We have grown quickly and learned a lot of hard lessons along the way. There is always pressure to move faster, produce more and constantly launch. Honestly, a lot of that pressure comes from ourselves. Sometimes growth looks like expanding into new categories, like we did last year with denim, activewear, and swim. Those were huge steps for us.
Other times, growth looks like recalibrating and going back to the core of our brand to refine what already works.
IR: What have been the biggest highlights of building the brand so far?
DAD: I think some of the biggest highlights have definitely been our pop-ups. Each one has felt so iconic in its own way, and every location has been really special. They’ve played such a huge role in building our brand presence and showing the level of excellence and intention we put into everything we do.
I would also say our swimwear launch! That was a really daunting category for me personally because our number one emphasis is on confidence, so we didn’t want to get it wrong, but the category launch ended up being incredibly successful. It pushed us as a brand and really strengthened our overall mission.
IR: Speaking of highlights, Nuuds reached an important milestone with its first major wholesale partnership with Nordstrom.com and select Nordstrom physical stores. How did this partnership come about?
DAD: Nordstrom! What a milestone. As I write this, we are on the plane to the first in-store launch in Charlotte, and I truly don’t think it’ll feel like it’s actually happening until I’m there!
Nordstrom has always been a special place for me. It was my first real job and my first internship, and those experiences shaped so much of who I am today. I have dreamed of Nuuds being in Nordstrom from the very beginning, so it still feels surreal. Their focus on customer experience and product selection has always resonated with me, both when I worked there and as we built Nuuds.
As the brand grew, we started making more industry connections and having conversations internally about what a wholesale branch could look like. In the spring of 2026, we had our first meeting with Nordstrom, and the rest is history. We are incredibly thankful for the partnership and are excited for what’s ahead.
IR: In addition to Nordstrom, how does Nuuds plan to continue to expand its omnichannel operations outside of its DTC channel?
DAD: For us, it’s less about the number of stores and more about finding the right partnerships. It’s important for us to stay true to our brand, always considering what will truly resonate with our customers.
At our core, we love being direct-to-consumer because it will always allow us to stay closely connected to our community. That said, we have had conversations about what it would look like to bring pop-ups back into the picture in some form, and we have also had a few conversations here and there about what brick-and-mortar could look like for us long term.
We also have a few dream wholesale partners we would love to work with in the future. Our goal is to continue growing strategically and intentionally and not to expand everywhere all at once.
IR: Outside of Nordstrom, what retailers would you like to see Nuuds partner up with and why?
DAD: Outside of Nordstrom, I’d love to see Nuuds partner with Dillard’s and Scheels.
Dillard’s feels like such a natural fit for us because so much of our customer base is in middle America, and they have a really strong retail presence in those areas. It would be an amazing way for us to meet our customers where they already are and make Nuuds more accessible to them in person.
Whereas Scheels is a totally different vibe, but in the best way. Their stores are such an experience! People genuinely enjoy going there, and it feels fun and memorable. I think Nuuds would fit really well into that environment, especially because our customers love that kind of engaging, in-store experience.
IR: What goal points do you hope to carry out with Nuuds over the course of the next year and over the next five years?
DAD: Over the next year, my dream is to continue expanding Nuuds across the country through Nordstrom and truly take it nationwide. Being able to show up in more cities and connect with our customers in person is a huge focus for us right now.
Looking ahead over the next five years, my biggest goal is for Nuuds to have its own retail stores. I want to create spaces that fully bring the brand to life and give our community a place to come experience Nuuds in a really special, intentional way.
IR: As someone who started her career journey working as a Nordstrom sales associate before moving on to participate in its internship program, how does it feel to have your brand carried by this retailer?
DAD: It feels incredibly full circle. Nordstrom was the first place where I really understood the power of knowing your customer. Their commitment to customer experience, from product selection to merchandising to service, left a lasting impression on me.
That experience shaped how I approached building an online community and influenced so much of what we created with Nuuds. To now see a brand I founded carried in the same place where I started is something I still can’t fully wrap my head around. It is very surreal.
IR: What is your current favorite SKU?
DAD: I think my favorite product will always be our Slinky Rib Tee!
It’s our top-selling product and will probably always stay my personal favorite. The fabric is so soft and stretchy, and the fit hits in all of the right places. It’s so easy to dress up to wear out on a date or throw on to wear around town with leggings and it’s so flattering!
Further reading: How Hong Kong apparel brand Sau Lee appeals to the American fashion lover
The post How is Nuuds scaling beyond its DTC roots? appeared first on Inside Retail Australia.
