How MADLADY eliminated payment friction and built for European expansion
E-commerce
Partner: Webshop
“That kind of hands-on approach is rare, and it told us a lot about how Mollie operates.”
Ilia Komorin - Co-Founder & Owner at MADLADY
Introduction
MADLADY isn’t your average fashion brand. Based in Malmö, Sweden, they sell exactly one thing – pants. (Otherwise known as “trousers” to our UK readers).
And they do it better than almost anyone else. With multiple lengths, cuts, and waist heights available as standard, MADLADY has built a loyal following among women who are tired of compromising on fit.
But behind the brand’s clean, focused product range is a story of radical reinvention. Founded in 2012, MADLADY spent nearly a decade operating as a fast-fashion business before making a dramatic pivot in 2021 – turning off 97% of their product range overnight, then rebuilding everything around quality, sustainability, and data-driven decision-making.
To support that new direction, they needed a payments setup that was just as lean and reliable as the rest of the business. After migrating to Shopify, they turned to Mollie, and haven’t looked back.
About MADLADY
MADLADY was born out of a frustration that millions of women share: pants that never quite fit because they’re too long, too short, too stiff, or too shapeless. Founder Ilia Komorin believed that pants are the foundation of any outfit, and that finding a pair that genuinely fits your body shouldn’t be so difficult.
The answer was radical focus. By specialising entirely in one product category, they can go deeper on fit, fabric, and length than any general fashion retailer. Every style is available in multiple lengths as standard, so whether you’re 160 or 180 centimetres tall, there’s a pair made for you.
Today, MADLADY operates from Malmö with a lean team of 15 people, with 10 in the office and five in the warehouse. They primarily sell across the Nordics and plan to expand into new European markets.
Receive updates in your mailbox
Sign up for our Newsletter and learn more about Mollie.
By clicking "Sign up" you confirm to opt-in for Newsletters by Mollie.
The challenge
The biggest problem MADLADY faced was an industry-wide issue, and instead of ignoring it, like a lot of the competition still does today, they decided to tackle it head-on.
“The industry has a real problem with waste, and a lot of brands either ignore it or dress it up in language that doesn’t mean very much,” says Ilia. “We made a very uncomfortable decision to strip back almost everything and rebuild from a better foundation. It wasn’t easy, but looking back, it was the right call.”
The rebuild touched every part of the business, including payments. Their previous setup had become a source of constant frustration. Duplicate payments, refund issues, and a steady stream of operational problems were consuming time and energy that a lean 15-person team simply couldn’t afford to waste.
“Honestly, it was painful,” says Ilia. “We were constantly firefighting instead of focusing on the business. For a small team trying to grow, that’s a real problem.”
When MADLADY migrated from Magento to Shopify, it provided the perfect opportunity to rethink their payment setup entirely and find a partner they could rely on, without requiring constant attention.
“What we particularly value is how easy it makes it to enable new payment methods when we move into a new market.”
Ilia Komorin - MADLADY
The solution
MADLADY evaluated a few payment providers before choosing Mollie, and what made the difference was both the process and the people.
“Dio, our senior contact at Mollie, sat with us and helped us get everything set up in a single morning,” says Ilia. “That kind of hands-on approach is rare, and it told us a lot about how Mollie operates.”
The integration with Shopify was fast and straightforward. MADLADY was up and running quickly, and the setup was intuitive enough that the team could handle most of it themselves.
But the real value of Mollie became clear as MADLADY began considering expansion. Enabling payment methods in new markets, something that used to require significant technical work, suddenly became simple.
“The connection between Shopify and Mollie is really smooth,” says Ilia. “What we particularly value is how easy it makes it to enable new payment methods when we move into a new market. We don’t have to rebuild anything or go through a complicated process. It’s just there, ready to go."
“We’ve completely eliminated the time we used to spend chasing payment issues.”
Ilia Komorin - MADLADY
The results
The most immediate impact of switching to Mollie was simple: the problems stopped.
Duplicate payments, refund issues, and the constant back-and-forth that had eaten into the team’s time almost completely disappeared. For a 15-person team with ambitions to expand across Europe, that shift was transformative.
“We’ve completely eliminated the time we used to spend chasing payment issues,” says Ilia. “The team can focus on strategy, on product, on expansion. Not on troubleshooting.”
Crucially, MADLADY’s customers noticed nothing at all, and that’s exactly the point. “We haven’t received any comments about the checkout experience or the payment setup,” says Ilia. “And no news is very good news in this case. When payments are working the way they should, customers simply don’t notice them.”
Results at a glance:
Time to get up and running: After signing, they were up before lunch the same day.
Payment issues: Effectively eliminated since switching to Mollie
Team time saved: 5-10 hours per week
Customer complaints about checkout: Zero
“Mollie gives us a lot of confidence when we think about expansion.”
Ilia Komorin - MADLADY
Built for what’s next
MADLADY’s pivot in 2021 means the brand they’re building now is focused, scalable, and data-driven, and their payments infrastructure needs to match that ambition.
International expansion is the priority. With a strong base in the Nordics, MADLADY is actively moving into new European markets, and Mollie is a key part of making that happen.
“Mollie gives us a lot of confidence when we think about expansion,” says Ilia. “Knowing that the right payment methods will be available, and that we can get up and running quickly, removes one of the biggest unknowns from the process.”
Beyond payments, MADLADY is focused on finding smarter ways to use data across the whole business. From the “Coming Soon” demand-testing model that helps them avoid overproduction to the returns analysis that shapes every new season’s range.
“We want to bring MADLADY to more European markets,” says Ilia, “and alongside that, we’re focused on finding smarter ways to use the data we have to make better product decisions, better stock decisions, better everything.”
For a brand that once carried thousands of SKUs and has since rebuilt around a handful of considered, well-made products, the direction is clear. Less waste. Better fit. Smarter growth.
And a payments partner that just works.
Learn more about Mollie for Shopify or talk to our team to upgrade your payment flow.
