At the start of March 2025, the fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing (PLT) announced it would be rebranding. Since its founding in 2012, the company has gained a reputation as the go-to place for colourful, sparkly and inexpensive club and party outfits, with a plethora of choice. Through partnerships with various social media personalities and influencers, most notably Love Island winner, Molly-Mae, they were clearly appealing to a younger demographic, with a certain look. Through the years they have also faced criticism for lying about sustainability practices, accusations about textile waste, stealing small business’s designs, scandals over the treatment and pay of garment workers, and criticism for prioritising quantity over quality.
The recent rebrand has gone for a significantly different look. The pink and unicorn visuals and branding has been set aside for a mahogany background, and a new refined calligraphic font for the brand name, with the slogan ‘legacy in progress’. The social media feeds have been wiped and restarted. A lot of the colourful, patterned and sparkly pieces have been traded for those in neutral brown, beige, cream, sage, taupe, pastel and other toned-down shades, mostly without patterns. Clothing items contain many co-ords, suit jackets, maxi dresses and pointed heels, going for a more covered look.
All these factors point to the fact that PLT is going for a ‘quiet luxury’ look, and is seeking to establish an identity as a retailer which produces classic, timeless and quality pieces. They are stating that they are striving to provide accessible luxury for a new generation, and sophistication with a modern twist. Some consumers have suggested this minimalistic, paired-back and ‘refined look’ is aiming for one that is more ‘conservative’; conservatism but rebranded for the digital age.
The rebrand has been met with mixed responses. Some customers are delighted with the new items which favourably align with the currently popular clothing trends of the put-together, expensive, ‘clean girl’ look, and are pleased that the brand is providing these style options, which are more affordable than similar styles from high-end retailers that most cannot afford. Others are unhappy with this shift to ‘boring’ clothing which does not provide the ‘fun’ outfits so many liked the brand for, and that the new marketing seems lacking diverse representation in the models it is choosing. People are also critical that beyond a new logo and colour scheme, they seem to have made no significant change.
If PLT were aiming to craft a new identity as a retailer that was rooted in quality, luxury and timeless clothing, one would hope this would extend to the customer experience, quality of their pieces and sustainability of their production practices. However, the rebrand has not contained any new statements about their sustainability practices or new transparency in their supply chains. They are still putting out mass numbers ofnew products, with huge slashed-price sales and there seems to be no change in the quality or materials (many of which are still 100% polyester), or to employee pay. This makes their new declaration of ‘luxury’ shallow – beyond some new visuals, it is still the same fast-fashion brand with the same practices.
So why has PLT decided to make this rebranding choice? With the retailer not doing as successfully as it had in past years, the brand has been facing competition in an oversaturated market from other fast-fashion brands like Shein, which are increasingly criticised for their poor sustainable and ethical practices. In an effort not to sink, PLT seems to be trying to reposition itself away from its fast-fashion image, and to gain a reputation of accessible luxury. With the current re-popularity of conservative fashion and trends which rise and fall in a cyclical way, and resurgence of ‘trad-wife’ ideals and content online, the brand seized the opportunity jump on this trend and echo a popular aesthetic.
Throughout history, periods of economic struggle and economic downturn have been met with people turning back towards conservative and traditional values, and this extends to fashion too, with increased appeal in the perceived superior glamour of appearing ‘old-money expensive’ and ‘put together’ (the whole notion of which is problematic in itself). PLT rebranded at an opportune time, when demand is likely to be high for these styles. In this way, the new marketed aesthetic of the rebrand as traditional and ‘old money’, is arguably not this at all, but simply aligning with the current trends. If they are truly dedicated to gaining an identity of luxury and elegance, they should be committing to high quality production and sustainable practices, rather than making changes which are just aesthetic.