Singapore-founded intimates brand Embrace grows North America footprint with major Nordstrom deal

[SINGAPORE] Walk along the aisles at Nordstrom – one of the largest department store chains in the US – and one of the few Singapore brands you might spot is Embrace.

In August, the local intimates and apparel designer made its in-store debut with the US retailer to stock items such as bra tops and nursing bras on its shelves, with such products already available for purchase online on Nordstrom’s website.

Embrace founder and CEO Claire Mercieca, who founded the brand in 2022, said that up to 75 per cent of sales currently come from North America, with the rest mainly from Singapore and Hong Kong.

Such has been the pace of growth that Embrace is now on track to record S$4 million in global revenue this year, doubling its revenue year on year since its launch four years ago.

Merceica, a 34-year-old lawyer turned entrepreneur, admitted that she had not been actively pursuing large retailers. She was more focused on keeping up with existing demand as many products frequently sold out quickly.

As such, the approach from Nordstrom to work out a deal came as a pleasant surprise.

“We have grown really quickly since our launch,” she told The Business Times in a recent interview.

“A lot of good things have happened. (Working with the likes of) Nordstrom was always going to be – I think it was bound to happen.”

Finding a niche in intimates

Embrace has built its business by carving out a niche in premium intimates and maternity wear made from natural fibres, a positioning that Mercieca believes sets the brand apart in a highly competitive market that is dominated by fast fashion.

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The idea came from her own experience as a new mother living in Hong Kong, where she struggled to find nursing bras and tank tops that were comfortable, made from natural fibres and could withstand repeated washing.

Mercieca, who has psoriasis (a common chronic inflammatory skin disease) and eczema, realised that much of the maternity and intimate apparel available on the market was made from fabrics such as polyester and nylon, which irritated her skin.

Seeing a gap, she decided to create the kind of maternity wear she could not find easily and make it available to fellow mothers, too.

Armed with a dream and S$150,000 in startup capital from her own savings, Mercieca slowly began to develop the brand from scratch.

It took about two years to bring Embrace to market as she worked through countless rounds of fabric development and product iterations. 

This eventually led to Embrace’s own fabric – a custom blend of Supima cotton (a high-grade cotton grown in the US) and Austrian MicroModal (a soft, semi-synthetic cellulose fibre made from sustainably harvested beechwood trees) – developed under an exclusive agreement.

In Embrace’s very early days, shipping disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic at the time hit the business, so Mercieca began sending parcels from her home in Hong Kong as the company worked through the logistics.

Singapore emerged as a strong market as demand picked up over time.

“In Singapore, the reception was the best. We immediately had a lot of sales and positive feedback coming in. I was pleasantly surprised,” she said.

The positive response prompted Embrace to establish a warehouse in Singapore in 2023. The brand also has warehouses in New York and Toronto.

Beyond maternity wear

Mercieca, who has relocated back to Singapore, soon realised that there were greater opportunities to grow beyond maternity wear.

In 2025, Embrace expanded into womenswear, introducing bra tops and intimates that retained its focus on comfort and natural fibres while allowing the brand to reach a much broader customer base. 

“In Singapore, with the declining birth rate, we found that in terms of routine sales, it was hard to grow. Women’s wear, on the other hand, has definitely steadily grown in demand and sales,” she said.

Embrace’s women’s collection includes a range of bra tops, which have been featured by The Wall Street Journal and The Strategist. Its nursing bras have also been recognised by The Good Trade – a digital media brand focused on sustainable fashion – in its round-ups of the best nursing bras on the market.

Growing without outside funding

The shift has also brought a new challenge – keeping enough inventory on hand to meet demand.

“In our last sale, our bra tops were already sold out within an hour and we got some comments from our customers about them being sold out so fast,” Mercieca said.

“As a small business, we don’t have deep pockets and we are self-funded. As a lawyer, I put in my own earnings, liquidated some stocks and put it all into this business,” she added.

She has deliberately resisted the need to look for external funding, as the current model allows her to retain full control over the business and prioritise the quality of its fabrics and workmanship.

“I find that when you start bringing in outside investors, maximisation of profits is always on the top of their minds,” she said.

“To me, running Embrace is personal. We would never try to maximise profits above quality.”

That decision has meant that Embrace’s growth remains tied to the profits it generates, even as demand continues to rise. 

While Embrace does not operate its own stores, its products are stocked at six boutique retailers in Canada and at Nordstrom stores in the US. Embrace also has a pop-up space at Clarke Quay in Singapore.

It has also expanded into a team of four women across Singapore and Toronto.

Mercieca noted that while North America continues to be the main market for sales, she also wants to build a stronger recognition for Embrace at home.

“I (would like Embrace) to be on top of everybody’s minds in Singapore when they think about quality bra tops,” she said.