The London-based brand is known for its timeless tailoring and elevated essentials prioritizing quality over quantity. After 15 years growing in defiance of fast-fashion, Studio Nicholson’s ecommerce sales rose by 40% year-over-year in 2025 by streamlining its operations.
Wardrobe Staples—and Tech Tools—Built to Last
As a go-to for wardrobing essentials, the average order value at Studio Nicholson is between £400–£500, so the experience needed to match the products being sold. Everyday, accessible luxury pieces need to arrive in the same condition—and manner—that they’re represented in. The way to maintain premium service expectations with lean internal resources? A seamless, personalized, and trustworthy tech tool to meet all needs.
Enter Swap Commerce—the unified commerce platform Studio Nicholson now uses to simplify post-purchase operations, elevate returns, and build operational confidence for a global customer base.
“Our ecommerce is up 40% this year—and we’ve only added one headcount. That’s how efficient our system has become.”
Sara Gomes
Ecommerce Manager @ Studio Nicholson
Brand overview
Studio Nicholson
Founded by designer Nick Wakeman, Studio Nicholson creates clothes that are meant to be worn daily—and worn in. Signature silhouettes like the Chalco, Ruthe, and Line pants have become customer staples, evolving seasonally while remaining wardrobe foundations.
The brand’s ethos is rooted in longevity, fabric integrity, and design that “ages with you.” Garments are crafted to break in, not break down. With a loyal global following and consistent sell-through on platforms like END Clothing and Mr Porter, Studio Nicholson embodies a slower, high-attachment retail model—and Swap helps support it from the backend.
The Challenge
Scaling a Premium Experience Without Scaling Overhead
As a small but growing ecommerce team, Studio Nicholson faced a familiar challenge: how to support high-value orders and discerning customers without compromising service quality or increasing headcount.
“When I joined, it was me, Joe, Andy, and an intern,” said Sara Gomes, Ecommerce Operations Lead. “The volume we’re doing now, we couldn’t manage manually. Especially not while keeping the standard we promise.”
That’s because Studio Nicholson Customers weren’t just buying clothes, they’re buying into the idea that the brand, founded by Nick Wakeman, is a reliable go-to for elevated essentials that blend the timelessness of menswear tailoring with an organic, oversized ease. This philosophy centers on longevity, fabric integrity, and the natural aging of clothes, which pushes against fast fashion’s disposability. Wakeman emphasizes emotional, tactile relationships with garments, which encourages customers to wear pieces until they develop unique character—aligning perfectly with the modern consumer's growing demand for sustainability and authenticity. They are investing in a lifestyle—one where ease and excellence are non-negotiable.
The brand needed:
- Easier return and exchange processes for premium customers
- Visibility into customer orders and parcel status
- Faster feedback loops on product performance and returns data
- A partner that matched the brand’s attention to detail
“With an average order of £400–£500, the post-purchase experience has to match that level of investment.”
Sara Gomes
Ecommerce Manager @ Studio Nicholson
The solution
Enter Swap
By partnering with Swap, Studio Nicholson implemented a streamlined return and exchange process starting in the UK, giving customers access to:
QR code drop-offs or at-home pickups
Automated refund and exchange workflows
Real-time return tracking and updates
Credit note systems and exchange incentives
More importantly, it freed up internal resources to focus on growth and merchandising.
“It gives us the ability to provide a service that matches the investment people are making in the product,” said Gomes. “Especially with returns—it needs to feel as easy and elevated as everything else.”
The brand also uses Swap’s backend insights to understand return rates, product feedback, and opportunities for improvement—a shift that matches the brand’s iterative, emotionally intuitive design process.
“Swap’s team isn’t just reactive—they’re proactive. If we raise an issue, they’re on it by the next day. That kind of support is rare.”
Sara Gomes
Ecommerce Manager @ Studio Nicholson
The Results
Operational Wins At-a-Glance
Since adopting Swap, Studio Nicholson has seen massive performance improvements:
- 40% YoY increase in online sales
- 15% increase in retained revenue via UK returns (5% above industry benchmark)
- 5–5.5% of UK orders now exchanged, with high repeat purchase behavior
But more than the numbers, the transformation was about control, clarity, and customer confidence.
Global Possibilities
Preparing to roll out returns to major international markets, including the US.
Improved Operational Impact
Real-time parcel tracking, easier exchanges, customer-specific data visibility.
Looking Ahead
With retained revenue in the UK up 15%, Studio Nicholson is looking to expand Swap’s returns infrastructure into international markets—starting with the US, one of its largest customer bases.
“We’d love to offer the same experience and credit note incentives in the U.S. that we do in the UK,” Gomes said. “Because our customers are loyal. They’ll wait. They’ll exchange. They just need the right tools.”
