Has another fashion firm fallen to ‘the Kate curse’?
ROYAL customers are usually a guarantee of success – but I’m beginning to fear that, as another of her favourite brands goes bust, the Duchess of Cambridge’s patronage is more of a curse than a blessing.
In 2018 her beloved chintzy designer Orla Kiely went to the wall, swiftly followed by high street stalwart L K Bennett going into administration last year and its stores facing an uncertain future.
Now I can reveal that another of Kate’s much-loved fashion labels, Beulah London, has gone into liquidation, leaving creditors almost £1 million out of pocket.
Founded in 2010 by the Marquis of Reading’s daughter Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, an ex-girlfriend of Prince William, and her best friend Lavinia Brennan, Beulah was aimed squarely at the well-heeled middleclass set.
Their brand took off when Kate wore a silk red dress from one of their earliest collections. ‘The phones were ringing off the hook,’ explained Lady Natasha. ‘With Kate, we always get an influx of customers from the US and the UK.’ That was despite a typical Beulah dress costing about £500 and even simple designs costing £350.
The Duchess wore a black Beulah coat for a visit to Pakistan last year, and another outfit for a lockdown address about mental health in May.
Further high-profile endorsement came from Holly Willoughby, who wore Beulah outfits to present ITV’s This Morning this summer.
The price tags perhaps explain why, despite the brand’s high profile and investors pumping millions into the business, Natasha and Lavinia were unable to keep it afloat: in ten years Beulah never turned a profit, racking up total losses of £1.7million in 2018.
Its collapse into voluntary liquidation has left 11 employees out of pocket to the tune of £75,000 collectively. Shareholders who lost out include Formula 1 presenter Natalie Pinkham. The debt the company owes to the Duchess of Cambridge for backing their designs is much harder to put a price on.
Lady Natasha vowed to battle on last night, saying: ‘It is our intention to find a way to rescue Beulah now and secure its future.’