Fashion brand founded by two friends is now online at M&S

Nearly 17 years after Sarah Tankel and Philippa Bloom met at a Marks and Spencer press day, the friends are going full circle, with their own fashion brand, WAT, launching on M&S online.

“We each felt like we’d met our soulmate,” Sarah recalls of that encounter. A week later they met for dinner and discovered an extraordinary number of coincidences: identical first jobs, fathers both called Stephen and grandparents who had once been close friends. They even turned up in the same outfit.

“We both went home and told our mums we’d met someone special who was going to be in our lives for a very long time.” Neither imagined that this “someone special” would also become a business partner.

“We started our Instagram account We Are Twinset because we love fashion,” says Philippa. “People were always asking where our clothes were from, so we created a space to share what we were spying, buying and how we styled it.”

Evenings and weekends were spent photographing outfits, with husbands and mums behind the camera. The women’s friendship quickly became as central to We Are Twinset as the fashion itself.

With a loyal following behind them, the pair began thinking about creating a label of their own. Becoming mothers provided the impetus. “We reached a point where it felt like now or never,” says Sarah. “Not trying would have been the bigger regret.”

WAT The Brand launched with a 13-piece loungewear collection that sold out in just 11 minutes.But success brought its challenges. When a pre-order shipment failed to arrive, the pair personally called every affected customer, explaining what had happened and offering full refunds. “It was one of the hardest days we’ve had as founders,” Philippa admits.

As WAT The Brand grew, co-founder Nicky Green joined them, bringing years of retail experience. “The three of us all bring very different strengths,” says Philippa, who also credits their close-knit families with instilling the work ethic behind the business.

Now comes the perfect full-circle moment: WAT The Brand is launching on 16 September in the retailer that brought Sarah and Philippa together. “Our dream retail partner was always M&S,” says Philippa. “To see WAT sitting alongside brands we love, in a retailer we’ve both grown up shopping at, is such a pinch-me moment.”

A chance meeting, a shared obsession – and 17 years later, they’re back where it all began.

watthebrand.com