The celebs whose fashion brands failed – from ASOS line that lost Millie Mac £178k to Olivia Attwood’s 3 year flop

FOR years, fashion brands have relied on reality stars to shift clothes, signing them up as ambassadors, fronting campaigns and launching collaborations that have had fans running to the checkouts. But as their influencer (and Instagram followings) grew, plenty of TV’s biggest names decided the cut out the middle man and launch their own labels, hoping to turn their fame into fashion empires. Molly Mae wearing her own clothing brand, Maebe at Wimbledon 2026. Credit: instagram/mollymae Reality TV has produced some genuine fashion success stories, with Molly-Mae Hague’s Maebe and Tommy Mallet’s luxury trainer brand Mallet London thriving. While a handful have struck gold, for many others, turning fame into a lasting fashion business has proved far more difficult. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! Charlotte Crosby, who made her fame from starring on reality show Geordie Shore, is the latest celeb to learn that lesson, after announcing last week that she is closing down her clothing label, Pepper Girls Club. From the ones that racked up huge debts to the ones that quietly disappeared without a trace, these are the reality stars that paid the price and saw their clothing brands come crashing down. CHARLOTTE CROSBY Charlotte Crosby was hoping to turn her Geordie Shore fame into a fashion empire when she launched Pepper Girls Club back in 2017. The online brand quickly became a hit with fans buying everything from comfy loungewear and gym sets to party outfits, coats and handbags. Charlotte Crosby posing for Pepper Girls Club wearing a pink bomber jacket (Was £49.99, now £18.99) and sculpting cycling shorts (Was £27.99, now £14.99). Credit: instagram/peppergirlsclub There were plenty of wins along the way. After becoming a mum, Charlotte designed a baby changing bag based on what she wanted as a parent, with more than 1,000 flying off the shelves. Most read in Fabulous But despite the strong sales, the business wasn’t always smooth sailing. The company underwent a major re-brand in 2024 and, during an Instagram Q&A last year, Charlotte candidly admitted she’d poured around £300,000 of her own money into the business without seeing a penny back. She also confessed she’d struggled to find investors willing to back the business and revealed some expensive mistakes along the way, including spending £20,000 on a summer campaign shoot that didn’t launch until the season was almost over. Now, after almost a decade in business, Charlotte has made the difficult decision to call time on Pepper Girls Club. Fans are currently able to snap up the remaining stock in a closing-down sale, with prices slashed to as little as £4.99 as the brand prepares to shut its doors for good. MILLIE MACKINTOSH With her effortless Chelsea style and legions of loyal fans, Millie Mackintosh seemed like the perfect reality star to launch a fashion label. The former Made In Chelsea star unveiled her self-titled collection in 2014, selling everything from floaty floral dresses to sharp tailoring and occasionwear. Millie Mackintosh wearing a dress from her self-named brand at Clothes Show Live in 2014. Credit: Graham Stone The range proved an instant hit, launching on ASOS and Very and expanding into around 30 retailers worldwide. But behind the glossy campaign shoots and stylish collections, the business was battling a much tougher reality. Just four years after launching, Millie revealed she was pulling the plug on the brand, blaming the increasingly difficult retail climate. The company went into liquidation owing around £548,000, while Millie was reportedly left £178,000 out of pocket. Although the label is long gone, fashion fans can still get their hands on some of Millie’s designs, with pieces regularly popping up on Vinted. And as for Millie, she has found fashion success by partnering with Next-owned brand Friends Like These on summer collections over the last few years. Last year, Millie Mackintosh partnered with Next own brand, Friends Like These for a summer clothing collection. Credit: Next OLIVIA ATTWOOD After finding fame on Love Island, Olivia Attwood turned her attention to fashion, launching premium womenswear label We Are Foolish in 2021 after spending three years developing the brand. Promising elevated luxury wardrobe staples, the new brand generated plenty of excitement among fans. Olivia Attwood modelling for We Are Foolish. Credit: INSTAGRAM/WE.ARE.FOOLISH However, the business hit trouble almost immediately. A surge in demand left customers facing lengthy delivery delays, forcing Olivia to temporarily close the website while the company switched to a larger fulfilment warehouse. The company was reported to have run up £139k in debts. She later apologised to shoppers, admitting the rapid growth had caused logistical issues and insisting the brand would return stronger. Although the brand relaunched, it never managed to recapture the momentum of its launch. Despite getting a helping hand from fellow Love Island stars including Georgia Harrison and Paige Turley, who promoted the collections across social media, We Are Foolish struggled to recover from its rocky start. Olivia stepped down as a director in 2024 to focus on her flourishing television career, and the company was later dissolved. Since then, Olivia has focused on her booming TV career, becoming one of ITV‘s biggest stars. But she hasn’t given up on fashion completely, recently teaming up with River Island on a series of sell-out collections. Olivia Attwood posing in her third collection for high street brand, River Island. Credit: River Island LOUISE THOMPSON Louise Thompson was one of the first Made In Chelsea stars to try turning her reality TV fame into a fashion business when she co-founded Pocket London in 2012. The brand launched as a luxe womenswear label, with collections inspired by Louise’s own wardrobe and quickly built a following among fans. Louise Thompson attends the launch of Pocket London in 2012 in London. Credit: Getty As athleisure began to dominate the fashion industry, the business changed direction. By 2017, the brand had started introducing fitness-focused collections and, in 2021, completed a full rebrand as Pocket Sport, moving away from traditional fashion in favour of performance activewear. Speaking on the Working Hard podcast, Louise later revealed the business enjoyed huge success during lockdown, but admitted it failed to invest at the right time. She also explained the brand had become too reliant on her personally promoting every collection on social media, and after becoming seriously ill, that model was no longer sustainable. In 2024 the company was moved in liquidation but Louise didn’t step away from fashion altogether. Earlier this year, she collaborated with Nobody’s Child on a petite collection, putting her stamp on pieces designed for smaller frames. Louise Thomspon for Nobody’s Child wearing a dress from her petite-friendly range. Credit: Nobody's Child Comment now