Usually when a celebrity wears an item of clothing made by a small business, it’s extremely beneficial for the company. This was almost too true for Issa London. So much so in fact, that their boost in business almost made the company go out of business all together!
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When Kate Middleton announced her engagement to Prince WIlliam back in 2010, wearing a royal blue wrap dress from Issa, the company was thrilled, until the abundance of orders began rolling in!
“It absolutely sky-rocketed the brand on a global scale, but it was too much,” said Issa chairwoman Camilla Al Fayed. “Demand was so huge the business couldn’t cope. If Kate wears a Zara dress, these huge companies have the backing to follow through. Issa was basically run by interns, students and Daniella [Helayel, the label’s founder and designer]. There was no business model.”
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Luckily, with the help of Camilla Al Fayed, daughter of former Harrods owner Mohamed, Issa was able to stay afloat. Camilla became the company’s chairwoman in July 2011, and gained a 51 percent stake in the company with Daniella retaining creative control. To her advantage, it appears Camilla stepped in just in time.
We can’t imagine being too successful when starting a new business, but it’s probably one of the best problems to have. Wouldn’t you agree?
