Mars The Label eyes global expansion: 'Grow while staying connected to the girls'

Manchester-based label Mars The Label has opened a US warehouse, adding next-day shipping for American customers as it launches its new collection, Beyond Human. The fulfilment centre marked the brand's first infrastructure investment outside the UK, foreshadowing the brand's plan for global expansion.

Founder Arianna Ajtar said the decision followed sustained organic growth in the American market. "The US has become an increasingly important market for us, and we were seeing a real opportunity to better serve the customers we already have there while continuing to grow our presence," she told FashionUnited. "Opening US fulfillment allows us to get closer to our American customer and improve that experience, particularly when it comes to delivery and making the overall journey with Mars as seamless as possible."

She framed the move as a measured step rather than an aggressive push. "We've spent years building a strong community organically, and we're now seeing that same connection with customers outside the UK. The US is a huge opportunity, but we want to approach international growth in a way that feels sustainable and still allows us to maintain the quality of experience that our customers expect from Mars."

Asked where the brand would expand next, Ajtar declined to name a market. "Our approach has always been to listen to the data and, just as importantly, to our community. We want to see where there is genuine demand and then make sure we have the right infrastructure in place to serve those customers properly."

She added: "The US is a major focus for us right now, but our ambition is definitely global. Mars has always been a community-led brand, and it's really exciting to see the Mars Girl resonate with women all over the world. Wherever we go next, the goal will be the same: to grow while staying connected to the girls who are helping us build the brand."

Beyond Human

The Beyond Human collection lands alongside the warehouse opening. It introduces a line of corsets tailored for fuller busts in sizes D to F, alongside new co-ords and reworked classic styles in jewel-tone hues and earthy neutrals, positioned as fall occasionwear.

Ajtar described the collection as a balance between the brand's established styles and newer directions. "It brings together some of our favourite core styles that our community already knows and loves, alongside lots of exciting newness that I know the Mars Girls are going to love."

The campaign extended beyond product. "It gave us the opportunity to really push ourselves creatively and create a whole world around the collection, rather than just focusing on the clothes themselves," she said.

From a family home in Manchester

Ajtar started Mars The Label at 19 from her family home, handling design, sourcing, order packing, customer service and social media herself. The brand has since scaled into a multi-million-pound business.

"As we've grown, I've had to learn how to build a team and trust people to take ownership of areas that I used to manage myself," she said. "My role is still very hands on, but now a lot more of my day is spent thinking about the bigger picture."

Growth was not immediate. By her own account, it took five or six years before the brand took off. "I think I always believed in what Mars could become, even when the business wasn't where I wanted it to be yet," Ajtar said. "Of course, there were moments when it was frustrating. You see other brands growing quickly and naturally start questioning whether you're doing the right things."

She credits that period with shaping the brand's customer relationship. "Mars didn't suddenly become what it is overnight. It was years of learning our customer, building relationships and slowly creating a community that genuinely cared about the brand."

Customer feedback still feeds directly into design. "I'll ask questions on social media, speak to the girls in our broadcast channel and pay attention to what people are asking us for. That feedback genuinely influences the collections we create."