Anoushka Mehan is head of brand at Threadbare, a Manchester headquartered fashion brand.
She kicked off her career on the shop floor at major fashion retailers such as Topshop and Lipsy before joining Threadboys, Threadbare’s kidswear sub-brand, as sales manager in 2019.
After rising through the ranks in a series of roles from fashion buyer to head of womenswear at Threadbare, she was appointed head of brand in September 2025.
Under Mehan’s leadership, womenswear sales on Threadbare.com surged by 266% year-on-year in 2025, with a further 94% growth forecast for 2026, driven primarily by online channels.
Leading a team of 28, Mehan attributes this success to her “disruptive mindset and refusal to settle for the status quo”. Her role has focused on building influential industry relationships, raising the brand’s profile through collaborations, and making ‘bold, strategic’ decisions.
She has also developed international sourcing strategies, regularly visiting suppliers across Asia to strengthen partnerships while overseeing quality and responsible production. More recently, she has helped integrate artificial intelligence into the business to streamline internal operations.
While no two weeks are ever the same, she shares what a recent week in her busy life looked like…
Monday
I started the week with something that means a lot to me, attending a panel talk for International Women’s Day centred around the theme Give to Gain. We organised this panel to help young people get into fashion, and it felt like such a positive way to start the week. I sat alongside some amazing colleagues, and we shared stories about our experiences in the industry to help make fashion careers more accessible for those just starting out. We ended the session by offering all attendees the chance to complete work experience at Threadbare HQ.
By lunchtime I was back at the office and heading straight into our weekly trade meeting for threadbare.com. In this meeting, we spent time looking across each category to pull out our best and worst sellers, as well as comparing how things are tracking against last year. It’s quite numbers-led, but it helps us understand what people are actually buying so we can make sure we’ve got the right stock in place for the week ahead.
I then went straight into the ladieswear trade meeting, led by our Head of Merchandising. This one’s all about reacting to trends as they happen and taking what we’ve seen in the data to understand what’s working right now and where we can tweak things. It’s a really collaborative session, focused on spotting opportunities early and making sure we’re one step ahead of what our customer wants next.
In the late afternoon, I caught up with our photographer and creative team to review imagery from our Summer Edit shoot in Ibiza. Choosing the right visuals is such a big part of how Threadbare comes to life, so it’s always a part of the process I enjoy.
Tuesday
Tuesday started with a catch-up with HR to discuss how we can continue building a positive working environment as Threadbare grows and look at options for our annual company away day. This is always one of my favourite events of the year as it’s a chance for the whole company to come together and reflect on what we’ve achieved.
I then spent the late morning in our weekly SMT meeting with the heads of each department. These sessions allow each manager to share updates and speak openly about what’s going well and where support might be needed. We’ve found this to be key to keeping everything running smoothly at Threadbare.
In the afternoon, I had back-to-back calls with two of our external marketplace partners, Next and Zalando. During these discussions, we went over sales, trading performance and monthly analysis in detail to identify where there’s room for improvement. It’s always useful to have these direct conversations as they help us stay aligned and able to plan ahead.
I finished the day approving email marketing creative for the next week and catching up with teams about factory capacity and our new supplier manual.
Wednesday
Wednesday was a big day for us as we welcomed the ASOS team up from London to visit Threadbare HQ. We spent the morning going over our performance on their platform, talking about what’s working well and where there’s room to grow. It’s always useful hearing direct feedback like this as it helps us to ensure we’re building the brand in a way that’s beneficial for both sides.
After that, I popped into a fit session with the ladieswear team. These usually run for most of the day, but I like to drop in for an hour when I can to see our designs come to life. We reviewed design samples to assess how they look and feel on our models and discussed any final tweaks prior to production.
In the afternoon, I caught up with the design team to review their latest trend boards for SS27. They travel a lot for inspiration, and it’s always interesting to see how what they’ve picked up might feed into our plans for next season. We also spent time deciding where they could head to next, as travel really does play a big part in keeping everything feeling fresh and relevant.
We wrapped up the day with a team dinner in town, which was the perfect way to switch off and spend some time together outside of the office.
Thursday
My Thursday started with our Senior Social and Content Executive looking at potential venues for events and future shoots in and around Manchester. The city is always changing, so it’s important we stay connected to what’s new to find the best locations.
Back at HQ, I went straight into a social media catch-up to discuss plans for upcoming events, influencers, gifting and content for the next few months. These all play an important role in building brand awareness! We then joined a call with our TikTok agency, who help manage our TikTok Shop. We reviewed the products sent out to influencers to see how they’re driving sales and discussed ways we can continue building on the momentum we’re seeing on the platform.
By lunchtime I was on a call with a potential new supplier in India. We talked through how they work and what a partnership could look like, and also planned a trip for the team to visit them in person.
In the afternoon, we paused for a quick Easter egg giveaway in the kitchen to show the team how much we appreciate them, and then I finished the day on a call with a new marketplace partner. We discussed how their platform works, what the opportunity could look like for Threadbare and how we might build the partnership over time. These plans are still in the early stages, but keep your eyes peeled for a possible launch lined up for AW26!
Friday
Friday began with our monthly board meeting, which is a good chance to step back and reflect on the previous four weeks. We reviewed performance, signed off budgets and talked through any operational changes and marketplace opportunities that could support our next phase of growth. We also checked in on plans for our new office ahead of the big move this autumn. We’re in the process of finalising the space and making sure it works for the whole team, which is something we really care about. It’s all part of continuing to invest in the business and the people within it.
I then had my regular Friday catch-up with our manager over in Bangladesh, where we ran through updates on the current trading environment and any potential production issues we need to keep an eye on. I also caught up with the team to look at how we can streamline our returns process and make the experience smoother for our customers.
I finished the day with Design and Buying, who were about to fly out to China and Tokyo. We made sure they were clear on what they needed to cover with suppliers so they could make the most of the trip and come back with plenty of ideas.
As you can see, a typical week for me is a mix of creativity, numbers and people, but that’s what makes my role at Threadbare so rewarding. Who knows what next week might bring!
