FASHION THATIS EITHER FAST..OR
BEHIND THE SCENES AT MISSGUIDED
BY ANNA BURNSIDE HOW does a dress go from a celebrity’s Instagram to Glasgow’s Bath Street on a Saturday night?
A new documentary series on Channel 4 shows how fast fashion has revolutionised what young women wear – and how little they pay for it.
In Inside Missguided: Made In Manchester, the cameras follow the internet retailer as it attempts to recover from a £26million annual loss. This involves scouring the internet for outfit inspiration, haggling with suppliers in Pakistan to shave 10p off the unit price, snooping around nightclubs in Ibiza to see how real girls wear bikinis and pleading with the stars of reality series to endorse the brand.
Missguided was desperate to bag Love Island’s Molly Mae. They offered her £350,000, a white Range Rover and made a Missguided outfit for her chihuahua. Boss Nitin Passi’s face fell when he was told she can’t drive.
It was still not enough as she signed with rival Pretty Little Thing, owned by Manchester-based Boohoo.
But this is fast fashion, so there’s always another influencer or celebrity coming down the line. Which is why ex-TOWIE star Gemma Collins ends up lying on the back seat of Missguided’s pink branded Rolls-Royce – she doesn’t want to get her trousers creased – being driven around London during Fashion Week.
Stunts like the pink Roller are designed to generate attention and buzz.
With so many brands using the same business model to sell similar clothes, Missguided’s staff spend a huge amount of effort trying to stand out.
Creative director Treasure Evans, 29, describes the brand as “bigger, better, quicker, faster, sicker”.
In the introduction to the documentary, narrated by Missguided’s Mancunian receptionist Olivia Walker, she claims: “We live, breathe, eat and s**t Instagram, bloggers and fashion.” We see the design team sitting round a table in the firm’s Instafriendly, mainly pink HQ. They are all on their phones, looking at the day’s new social media posts. What’s new, what’s popping, what they could do in another colour or fabric and get it on sale before the photo has been forgotten.
A sample is made. The garment technician looks dubious when a very thin model pours herself into a stretchy, shiny ruched dress. It needs a zip.
Everyone else’s face falls as details like zips add to the cost. But they reluctantly admit that without one, no one with a bottom will be able to get it on or off. Then the head buyer is on the phone, hustling the price down from £7.75 to £7.40.
Passi started Missguided in 2008 with a £50,000 loan from his dad. The firm is presented as a unicorn-filled haven of girl power, despite the fact that most of the CEOs are men.
The documentary shows lots of sparky tattooed women crawling around at photoshoots. No mention of the 46 per cent pay gap in favour of men the company reported in 2019.
He looks uncomfortable when a Financial Times journalist visits the neon-filled office and asks hardball questions about the 3500 new items on the website each month.
“We’re reacting to customers,” Passi mumbles. “If we didn’t do it, our competitors would.”
According to stylist Lindsay Campbell, fast fashion is here to stay. She said: “It is no longer a save-to-get-what-you-want society. The likes of Missguided provide instant gratification, fashion on a whim.
“It also means young girls can be fashion-forward at pocketmoney prices. As soon as a celebrity is spotted in something, these companies are turning it around. The celebrities they follow design lines for these websites so they can get exclusive pieces from their idols.”
The downsides of fast fashion are less photogenic. Campbell added: “It’s in one weekend and out the next, with no style or thought, it is just a blink.
“Designers used to spend an age perfecting a collection. Now it’s a quick order online and get it delivered the same day. Then out it goes just as fast.
“Landfill is full of cheap clothing thrown out after a few washes. Independent designers and small businesses are expected to match the cheap prices, which is unachievable.
“In the 2000s, with WAGs and Paris Hilton, everyone wanted designer bags, heels and Juicy Couture sweatshirts. Now, girls spend a lot on make-up, beauty and skincare. They will buy a designer bag or belt but want cheap clothing.”
Inside Missguided: Made In Manchester, Channel 4, 10pm.