PrettyLittleThing undergoes 'quiet luxury' rebrand - but there's still one question everyone's asking

If you needed any more proof that the quiet luxury trend is here to stay, fashion giant, PrettyLittleThing have centred their entire rebrand around the pared-back aesthetic.

Wiping their Instagram clean of any traces of memes or mini skirts and stripping their website of the thousands of fast-fashion products that could be accessed instantly, the Manchester-born brand this week announced they'd be undergoing a "legacy" rebrand, later unveiling a new logo and a new, stripped-back feel.

Deep burgundy shades have replaced PLT's signature bubblegum pink, and a plain background now sits where unicorns once flourished.

Essentially, "fast fashion" is out, and refined elegance is in.

"I think what happened with the brand for a couple of years is we stopped listening. And that’s where the brand lost its identity. In coming back, what I’ve tried to do is to clean everything up and redefine ourselves", founder, Umar Kamani, told Drapers.

"Before, we would focus on getting the product on site at the absolute cheapest price we could. What we’ve done now is not to focus on having a dress on site at £4, but having a dress that’s thicker, not see-through, and a better fit."

Except, that's not what PrettyLittleThing ever was, and it's become clear that people don't want to accept it for being that now, either.

A quick browse of the updated website shows neutral tones aplenty and an increase in prices (an homage to their former creative director, Molly-Mae Hague, perhaps?), with dresses averaging £50-60.

There's no denying that their newly-released items are visually appealing - but away from a promise of an increase in quality, there's one thing the brand has steered clear of addressing: Sustainability and ethics.

PLT

PLT has long been under fire over its fast fashion practices, and has consistently scored poorly for the Environment, Animals, and People categories of the Good Shopping Guide's ethical rating report - and scores as one of the least-environmentally friendly brands in the UK.

Only £3.50 per hour was paid to (UK) garment workers who worked solely for the Boohoo Group (PLT's parent company), according to a 2020 research by Labour Behind the Label.

That's the true cost of a 1p Black Friday sale.

Sure, they introduced 'PLT Marketplace', a hub for customers to re-sell their unwanted clothes, but it was quickly met with accusations around greenwashing in the face of what was happening behind-the-scenes.

That's why many have been left disappointed that PrettyLittleThing haven't used this opportunity to publicly make more positive changes as part of their rebrand, so that we can all enjoy their clothes, and feel comfortable about where they've come from.

There's hope that introducing higher-quality clothing will encourage people to wear it more times - but customers now want answers about how the production forms part of this.

"When we keep buying unethical clothes made with the cheap labour and resources, for absurd amounts, we allow these corporations to continue their insanity", one person wrote.

"Y'all are absolutely delusional if you think PLT’s rebrand is suddenly gonna mean their quality and ethics are going to be any better", another added.

So PrettyLittleThing, if you're really listening to your customers, then now it's over to you.

Indy100 has reached out to PrettyLittleThing for comment.

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