Will Middleton sisters’ fashion favourite be next Covid casualty?
HER dazzling, distinctive creations have made her the favourite dress designer of the Duchess of Cambridge.
But despite a glittering roster of clients also including A-list film stars, Alice Temperley has seen her fashion company rack up losses of £25million, accounts reveal.
The eye-watering amount is a brutal blow for the elite designer whose iconic flowing frocks have been worn by Scarlett Johansson, Emma Watson and Keira Knightley. Alice Temperley famously designed Pippa Middleton’s emerald green gowns for the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding reception in 2011. The slinky dress captured the world’s attention with its plunging neckline and silk, full-length shape.
In the same year Alice Temperley was named the Designer of the Year at the 2011 Hollywood Style Awards – because of what many called the ‘Pippa effect’.
The designer gowns are sold for four-figure sums, while her business also runs a cheaper line through John Lewis department stores.
Accounts for Temperley Limited, which runs her fashion business, and parent company Temperley Holdings, state there is ‘material uncertainty... that may cast significant doubt’ on their future – meaning they could now be one of numerous fashion brands struggling to survive in the pandemic.
Temperley Limited’s latest accounts for 201 register a loss of £3.7million, taking overall losses to £25million since it was set up. The figures cover the period before the pandemic, which has hit clothes retailers hard.
Last year chief executive Luca Donnini said the company was hoping to break even this year, but the pandemic is likely to have put paid to that.
‘There is material uncertainty’