‘Love Island”s Molly-Mae Hague Named U.K. and EU Creative Director of PrettyLittleThing
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LONDON — British television personality and fashion influencer Molly-Mae Hague, who is best known for being the 2019 runner-up in the ultra-popular reality dating show “Love Island,” has been named as the U.K. and EU creative director of the fast-fashion e-tailer PrettyLittleThing.
The Boohoo-owned brand said Hague, who has 5.9 million Instagram followers, will be working closely with the in-house creative team throughout 2021 and 2022, and will take an active role in directing upcoming campaigns for the brand, and signing new faces in Europe.
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Hague had previously served as a U.K. brand ambassador for the label.
Last year, PrettyLittleThing named the American singer Teyana Taylor creative director in a yearlong partnership and released an exclusive collection in a bid to boost the company’s presence in the U.S.
Umar Kamani, PrettyLittleThing’s chief executive officer and the son of Boohoo cofounder Mahmud Kamani, said the decision to elevate the relationship with Hague from a U.K. brand ambassador to a European creative director felt natural.
“Molly has been a huge part of our PrettyLittleThing journey and she is so invested in the brand. We wanted to explore different avenues together and bring her on board as more of a creative, where she can work closely with our team and be involved in our wider strategy across the U.K. and Europe over the next 12 months,” Kamani said.
PrettyLittleThing/Courtesy
Hague told WWD that she has turned down several offers from other fashion labels, but with PrettyLittleThing, she didn’t hesitate.
“PrettyLittleThing, for me, has always felt right. I was with them way before I went on ‘Love Island.’ They believed in me when I had 10,000 followers, and over the last two and a half years of working together so closely, our relationship went past the point of me just being an influencer for them.
“I was so close with the team. Umar has so much faith in me. So it just felt like an organic move to make. It’s just a dream come true for me,” she said.
To prepare for her new role, Hague said she’s done lots of homework in attempting to understand the audience of PrettyLittleThing.
“I’ve got a whole new audience to explore,” she said. “It’s definitely about understanding what they want and put that in the brand and elevate the brand best we can.”
PrettyLittleThing/Courtesy
The 22-year-old star from Hertfordshire, who now lives in Manchester, also released her first exclusively designed collection for the label Thursday. She will design two more full collections for PrettyLittleThing, besides editing the usual offerings.
The capsule takes inspiration from Hague’s off-duty style and features easy-to-wear and comfortable classic silhouettes, sharp tailoring and wardrobe essentials like jeans and tops with sizes ranging from 4 to 30.
“I think when designing a collection, creating something for everybody is key because not everyone has the same style. So I removed myself a little from it, and thought: ‘OK, this is what you want, but what all the girls follow you and PLT want?'”
Most of the items in the collection sit at PrettyLittleThing’s usual price range — 5 pounds for a crop top, 13 pounds for a skirt and 25 for a blazer — but there are premium pieces like a jumpsuit that can go up to 60 pounds. The collection is made in between China and the U.K.
While the creative director contract is signed for one year, given the relationship she has built with the brand, Hague is “pretty sure that there will be a next step after this.”
PrettyLittleThing/Courtesy
PrettyLittleThing’s parent Boohoo Group has been one of the few fast-fashion brands that has seen their business soar since the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to a purely digital business model.
Last week, the Manchester-based group revealed plans to create 5,000 new jobs off the back of an investment program valued at more than 500 million pounds across the nation over the next five years.
The company said the new hires will help the company meet increased demand from international markets such as the U.S. and Australia, which now represent around 50 percent of its business, as it plans to acquire additional warehouse space and invest in smart tech solutions to streamline its processes.
Boohoo Group has also gone on on an acquisition spree as traditional British high-street players suffered from waves of lockdowns.
The group now operates more than 13 brands, including Boohoo, Boohoo Man, Pretty Little Thing, Nasty Gal and Misspap, as well as acquired British brands like Karen Millen, Coast, Oasis, Warehouse, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton.
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