Anthropologie Elevates Maeve to Stand-alone Brand

Maeve is breaking out on its own.

Anthropologie Group will introduce its in-house label, Maeve, as a stand-alone brand.

Known for its feminine design and multigenerational appeal, Maeve, which was launched in 2005, has consistently resonated with the brand’s most loyal customers in dedicated retail spaces within Anthropologie’s existing footprint. It is now expanding into stand-alone Maeve storefronts and independent social channels.

The first 3,000-square-foot Maeve store will open in Raleigh, N.C., in October, to be followed by three test stores over the next year.

Maeve has long played a central role in Anthropologie’s own-brand strategy. Over the past year, the label has been shopped by nearly 2 million customers, ranked as the number-one most searched brand on anthropologie.com with close to 3 million searches and driven more than 10 million TikTok views. Three of the top 10 most-hearted items on the website are Maeve pieces.

“Maeve has emerged as a true driver of growth within Anthropologie’s portfolio,” said Anu Narayanan, president of women’s and home at Anthropologie Group. “Its consistent performance, combined with our customers’ emotional connection to the brand, made this the right moment to evolve Maeve into a stand-alone identity. Our customers have helped shape Maeve into what it is today and shown us time and again that the label holds a special place in both their wardrobes and their lives. We’re thrilled to now offer them the full Maeve experience in a bigger, more impactful way.”

Further, she said, “Maeve has had kind of a viral presence with our customer, and we always listen to our customers, watch how they’re interacting with different labels or different brands, and then decide how we should grow things.”

She said it’s been a top-performing brand and has grown consistently over the years. “The customer is just infatuated with the label and the brand and has such a strong affinity for it. So we felt like now was the time, given the growth that we’ve had, the customer loyalty and new customers who have been interacting with Maeve to really go for stand-alone stores, as well as growing our presence digitally.”

After opening the Raleigh, N.C., store in October, Maeve has three more stores in the pipeline as tests in the coming year.

Narayanan said what’s great about the Maeve brand is that it attracts a multigenerational customer. “We’ve seen young people purchase Maeve. We’ve seen older people purchase Maeve. What I think is so great about the assortment is that it has really timeless pieces that have modern silhouettes and details. And so I think that’s what’s really driven it to appeal to a broader base.”

Maeve features occasion-ready styles and extensive Plus, Petite, Tall and Adaptive offerings.

Describing Maeve’s particular aesthetic, Narayanan said, “We really think about how the label is anchored with a kind of color, charm and a sense of character. We always say that this customer is a little irreverent. She sees the world in Technicolor and lives vibrantly. We have that as the anchor. There are also classic pieces like our Avery trouser and our Colette pant, which are quintessential to the brand and can be styled in multiple ways. It has a modern sensibility.”

Asked about expectations for the store, she said, “We’re most excited to see how the customer interacts with the brand and the pieces that they’ll be gravitating to, but I think we are going to see some strong results and really have the ability to fuel much larger growth over time.”

For the Raleigh store, there will be some partnerships with Rowing Blazers (women’s), Goop for beauty and Jennifer Fisher for jewelry. Narayanan said the Maeve location will have “more of a boutique feel” since it has smaller square footage than an Anthropologie store.

The brand is priced comparatively to Anthropologie, with prices ranging from $28 for a Blair tank to $248 for the sleeveless square-neck fit and flare minidress.

While Maeve won’t have its own website, it will have a landing page on the Anthropologie site and dedicated social channels. Megan Dever, director of merchandising at Anthropologie, will help lead the business.

Among Maeve’s bestselling items is the Colette pant. “We do really well with different shirting programs as well, and all of the fun colors and prints. I would say a lot of the print and pattern is really what drives Maeve,” said Narayanan.

“We believe great design should inspire, delight, and connect with women in meaningful ways,” added Richa Srivastava, chief creative director of design at Anthropologie. “Every Maeve piece reflects that philosophy —infused with the color, charm and character our customer has come to love, and grounded in a thoughtful understanding of how she wants to feel in her clothing.”

As part of Maeve’s 360-degree marketing strategy it will have dedicated social channels across TikTok and Instagram, and a Substack titled “& one more thing,” to share long-form editorial content and behind-the-scenes insights. Also planned is House of Maeve, a gathering of 150+ influencers, press and community members from across the country for an exclusive New York City event led by celebrity host Chloe Fineman that will include a mock store preview, Cafe Maeve, behind-the-scenes products unveilings, a gifting suite and styled sessions and a spotlight on Maeve’s dedicated social impact partnership with She’s the First, a nonprofit that ensures girls around the world are educated, respected and heard.

The first feature article on their new Maeve Substack will be with Fineman and will go live on Wednesday.

In addition, there will be a multipronged influencer strategy and a robust ad campaign, featuring paid social, connected TV and out-of-home placements in priority markets, including New York City and Los Angeles. Maeve will also release a special Maeve catalog featuring both models and influencers, available in stores nationwide and shipped to hundreds of thousands of their best customers across the country.

“Design is at the heart of Maeve, but it’s the storytelling and sense of purpose that turn customers into a community,” said Barbra Sainsurin, global chief marketing officer of Anthropologie Group. “We’re celebrating Maeve with a thoughtful, full-funnel strategy that combines rich content, meaningful activations and immersive experiences — all aimed at inspiring discovery, driving conversion, and building lasting brand love.”

To launch the She’s the First partnership, Anthropologie stores nationwide will host a charitable roundup at checkout benefiting She’s the First throughout August, with Maeve stand-alone stores offering programs year-round starting with the Raleigh, N.C., store.

The full Maeve assortment is available online, in select Anthropologie stores and through Maeve’s upcoming stand-alone retail concepts.

Urban Outfitters Inc., Anthropologie’s parent firm, reported that for the three months ended April 30, Anthropologie’s net sales were $569.9 million, up 8.3 percent from a year earlier.