Founder of jacket brand loved by celebs has generated £3M business
Entrepreneur who found himself sleeping on sofas and floors in his 20s now runs a £3M leather jacket brand BODA SKINS loved by celebrities – including Justin Timberlake and Cheryl
- Nathan Alexander, 34, from Manchester, is the founder of BODA SKINS
- In his twenties, he found himself heartbroken and sleeping on sofas and floors
- Shortly after, he was introduced to leather factories and set up own business
- His work is loved by likes of Winnie Harlow, Khloe Kardashian and Johnny Depp
A self-made entrepreneur who found himself sleeping on factory floors is now the founder of a £3M brand loved by a whole host of famous faces.
Nathan Alexander, 34, from Manchester, is the co-founder of BODA SKINS, which boasts designs worn by the likes of Justin Timberlake, Johnny Depp, Olivia Palermo and Candice Swanepoel.
But it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the product designer, as after heading to Turkey for love in his twenties, Nathan found himself sleeping on sofas and floors following the breakdown of his relationship.
However, it was then that he was introduced to leather factories, which eventually sparked his ambition to create ‘the world’s best leather jackets.’
‘Khloe Kardashian was the first famous person to wear the brand,’ Nathan explained. ‘She bought herself a jacket from the website around 2014. I was surprised to see a picture of her in one of my designs but also really proud.’
Nathan Alexander (pictured), 34, from Manchester, is the founder of BODA SKINS – a brand loved by a whole host of famous faces, including the likes of Justin Timberlake and Johnny Depp
Justin Timberlake (pictured) wore a jacket from the collection when he performed on stage during ‘The Man of the Woods Tour’ at Scotiabank Arena on October 9, 2018 in Toronto, Canada
Cheryl was pictured wearing the chic leather jacket when she left ‘The X Factor,’ which was held at Fountain Studios, Wembley on December 6, 2014
Speaking of the heartache which ultimately led to his success, Nathan explained: ‘I started going out with a Turkish girl at university and once we graduated, I moved to Turkey with her for love.’
‘The relationship didn’t last and for a while it was tough, I was struggling to make ends meet and pay my rent.’
It was around this time that Nathan had a chance meeting with the owner of a leather factory and, as he had a degree in product design, it proved to be the catalyst for what became known as BODA SKINS.
‘I always knew I would fulfill my passion for designing, but I had no idea that this encounter with this humble man would lead to me building a global fashion brand,’ explained Nathan.
Canadian model Winnie Harlow (above) donned a jacket from Nathan’s range when she headed to Mr. Chow restaurant in London on April 21, 2016
Nathan (above) was introduced to leather factories following a relationship breakdown. This ultimately sparked his ambition to produce the world’s best leather jackets and to launch a business which is now known as BODA SKINS
He added: ‘A day after the meeting, I took three bus rides across the mountains to visit him. I stayed at the factory for two weeks while we worked on some new designs.’
The factory was a small family run business with 12 members of staff, but while Nathan admits it was clear they had a ‘love and passion’ for what they did, the styles were really out of date.
‘I saw it as my opportunity to design something that I thought was modern, edgy and stylish,’ said Nathan. ‘We came up with three designs, but I had no money to pay him, so I said I’d fly back to England and sell the designs to the local shops.’
‘It didn’t actually happen like that though. I put the jackets on eBay and I sold my first jacket that week.’
‘It was a brilliant moment for me – a mixture of delight and relief, as I realised that I had enough money to buy food for the week. The second jacket sold a week later and it progressed to one a week, then one a day, then one hour.’
In September 2011, Nathan moved back to his hometown of Manchester and two years later, launched the company’s website – with no outside investment and no marketing budget.
Heavyweight boxing champion of the world Anthony Joshua pictured wearing a leather jacket by BODA SKINS at the launch of the new Range Rover Evoque in London
Lottie Moss put on a stylish display in the trendy biker jacket while making an appearance at Blakes Hotel after a night out in South Kensingtonin in July, 2017
‘It’s always been our strategy to have amazing products that market themselves and our vision has been to create a remarkable wardrobe for people doing monumental things,’ the entrepreneur explained.
‘It’s been a success so far. We now export all around the world, in fact 85 per cent of our sales are overseas, with the majority of these in the United States.’
He added: ‘From the very start, my aim was to create the world’s best leather jacket and that ambition has continued with everything that I design.’
As the years passed, Nathan and his team focused on building relationships with celebrities and stylists around the world.
‘We wanted to get our collections seen on those people whose values align with the brand,’ he explained. ‘It hasn’t been difficult because we have strong product that they love and want to be seen in.’
Nathan’s concept for the brand is based on ‘slow-fashion.’ He said: ‘I hold a strong belief that people should have fewer, but better-quality clothes in their wardrobes’
The successful entrepreneur told how the US is a key market for the brand with the likes of Olivia Palermo, Hailey Bieber, Wiz Kahlifa and Johnny Depp all wearing it. Nathan explained: ‘It undoubtedly raises our profile and boosts sales’
The self-made entrepreneur revealed that his brand’s strategy has always been to ‘have amazing products that market themselves.’ Pictured, products from the range
And the US is a key market for the brand, with pieces being worn by talent such as Justin Timberlake, Hailey Bieber, Wiz Kahlifa and Johnny Depp.
‘It undoubtedly raises our profile and boosts sales,’ said Nathan. ‘For example, we’ve a range called SUPER COOL SH*T that involves clients working with us to create their own unique design for the back of their jacket, which an artist hand paints on.’
‘We painted Justin’s album cover on the back of a jacket for him and he’s worn it on stage loads; this has created huge demand for this collection.’
‘We’d still love to dress people like Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Drake, Tom Hardy, Bella Hadid, David Beckham and Kaia Gerber.’
And the range, which starts from £59 and goes up to £1, 600, has since expanded to include a core collection of edgy outerwear, alongside jewellery and accessories, while a denim collection is launching this summer.
Before each piece is launched, Nathan said ‘it’s refined around 60 times’ and he also travels the world to find the very best fabrics, materials and hardware out there
Justin Timberlake (pictured) personalised his leather jacket with the name of his tour: ‘The Man of the Woods.’ Speaking of the design, Nathan said: ‘We painted Justin’s album cover on the back of a jacket for him and he’s worn it on stage loads; this has created huge demand for this collection’
The BODA SKINS range has expanded to include a core collection of edgy outerwear, alongside jewellery and accessories, while a denim collection is launching this summer
While many may argue that Nathan has already achieved his dreams, the self-made entrepreneur says he’s ‘not even close.’
‘There is still so much I want to do, but my end goal is for somebody to be able to dress from head-to-toe in BODA SKINS if they wanted to,’ he explained.
‘Every year, I think this is going to be our year and then I come to realise that we are only just at the very beginning as a business.’
‘Ultimately, my ambition is to get people to think differently about fashion. I’m a great advocate of slow-fashion and hold a strong belief that people should have fewer, but better-quality clothes in their wardrobes.’
To date, Nathan’s business has made £3M, much of which is ploughed back into the business – and he’s expected to generate an impressive £4.8m turnover by the end of 2019, following the release of new collections.
‘Last year, we spent a lot on research and development in order to create world class designs – before each piece is launched it’s refined around 60 times – and I travel the world to find the very best fabrics, materials and hardware out there,’ said Nathan.
‘The strong financial figures indicate that people love my designs though and that’s a great feeling.’
BODA SKINS is now a £3M business with a turnover expected to reach £4.8m in 2019 with the introduction of new collections this year
Looking chic, Made In Chelsea’s Sophie Habboo uploaded a picture of herself posing in one of Nathan’s leather jackets, which she stylishly balanced on her shoulders
Boxing star Anthony Joshua proudly poses in his leather jacket, which he paired with an all black ensemble
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