Lipsy

Lipsy, also known as Lipsy London, is a British fashion and beauty retail brand established in 1988. Its range has centered primarily on women's apparel, while also extending into children's clothing, accessories, beauty products and homeware. The brand has operated through a combination of direct and indirect distribution, including its own website, external online retailers, Next stores, wholesale accounts, franchise locations and other in-store sales channels. The brand's development has been closely connected with the British fashion retail market and with celebrity-led product visibility. Its public profile has been supported by a succession of celebrity faces and collaborations, including Michelle Keegan, Pixie Lott, Alex Gerrard, Ariana Grande, Kelly Rohrbach, Kate Upton and Amy Jackson. Lipsy also carried the Kardashian Kollections and worked with Kim, Khloé and Kourtney Kardashian, giving the brand additional exposure in the contemporary womenswear and occasionwear segments. Lipsy launched its website in 2006, creating a direct digital sales channel alongside its established retail and wholesale activity. In 2008, Next plc purchased Lipsy for £17.3 million, bringing the brand into the Next group. The acquisition provided access to a major UK retail and logistics platform while allowing Lipsy to retain a distinct fashion-brand identity. In 2011, Lipsy entered a partnership with Alhokair Group to develop stores in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia. During the same period, it was available internationally through retailers including Bloomingdale's, Robinsons in Singapore and Myer in Australia. The brand changed its channel strategy in January 2018 by discontinuing sales through its own website. It instead concentrated on external websites, Next, ASOS and physical retail. At that point, available reference material described Lipsy as having 50 UK stores and 31 stores internationally, although the company's distribution footprint has changed over time. Lipsy's later model therefore emphasized marketplace and partner distribution rather than maintaining a standalone direct-to-consumer website. In 2019, Lipsy acquired Fabled by Marie Claire, a beauty brand, broadening its position beyond fashion apparel. In 2021, it launched Love & Roses, a womenswear brand, adding a separate proposition to its portfolio. As of 2021, Lipsy products were sold online, in 40 Next stores and through wholesale and franchise operations. The brand's current positioning is best understood as an accessible, trend-led fashion and lifestyle label operating within the wider Next ecosystem, with particular strength in women's fashion, celebrity association and multi-channel retail.

Lipsy is a British fashion and beauty retailer founded in 1988. The brand developed around women's fashion and later broadened its assortment to include children's clothing, accessories, beauty products and homeware. Its route to market has been multi-channel, combining physical stores, wholesale and franchise activity with online retail through partner platforms. A dedicated Lipsy website was launched in 2006. This gave the brand a direct digital presence at a time when online fashion retail was becoming increasingly important. Two years later, Next plc acquired Lipsy for £17.3 million. The transaction placed Lipsy within one of the United Kingdom's major fashion retail groups and gave it access to Next's commercial, distribution and store infrastructure. Lipsy pursued international growth in 2011 through a partnership with Alhokair Group. The arrangement supported store development in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Lipsy was also distributed internationally through third-party retailers, including Bloomingdale's, Robinsons in Singapore and Myer in Australia. This approach combined local retail partnerships with wholesale availability rather than relying solely on company-operated stores. Celebrity association became an important element of Lipsy's public-facing brand activity. Michelle Keegan, Pixie Lott, Alex Gerrard, Ariana Grande, Kelly Rohrbach, Kate Upton and Amy Jackson were among the celebrities identified as faces of the label. Lipsy also worked with Kim, Khloé and Kourtney Kardashian and carried the Kardashian Kollections. These associations helped the brand compete for attention in a crowded youth and contemporary womenswear market, particularly in fashion categories influenced by celebrity styling and social visibility. In January 2018, Lipsy changed its digital distribution strategy and stopped selling through its own website. The brand focused instead on external websites, Next and ASOS, as well as in-store sales. Reference material from that period described 50 stores in the United Kingdom and 31 worldwide. By 2021, the brand was reported as being sold online, in 40 Next stores and through wholesale and franchise operations, indicating a more partner-led and integrated retail model. Lipsy expanded beyond apparel in 2019 when it acquired Fabled by Marie Claire, a beauty brand. In 2021 it launched Love & Roses, a separate womenswear brand. These moves illustrate a portfolio strategy in which Lipsy operates not only as a single fashion label but also as a platform for adjacent fashion and beauty propositions. Its known business scope therefore includes branded apparel, licensed or collaborative collections, beauty and lifestyle products, and distribution through the wider Next retail ecosystem.

• 2021

  Love & Roses launches

  [1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Lipsy launches Love & Roses as a womenswear brand.

• 2019

  Fabled by Marie Claire acquisition

  [1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Lipsy acquires the Fabled by Marie Claire beauty brand.

• 2018

  Standalone website sales end

  [1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Lipsy stops selling through its own website and prioritizes partner websites, Next, ASOS and physical retail.

• 2011

  International store partnership

  [1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Lipsy partners with Alhokair Group to expand stores across multiple markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.

• 2008

  Acquisition by Next plc

  [1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Next plc acquires Lipsy for £17.3 million.

• 2006

  Dedicated website launches

  [1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Lipsy launches its own website and adds a direct online sales channel.

• 1988

  Lipsy is founded

  [1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Lipsy is established as a British fashion brand.

An accessible, trend-led British fashion and beauty brand with a strong womenswear focus, celebrity-facing marketing heritage and distribution through Next, ASOS, external e-commerce, wholesale, franchise and physical retail channels.

• Women's apparel · 1988

  Lipsy womenswear

  The core Lipsy range consists of women's fashion apparel. The brand is associated with trend-led and occasion-oriented womenswear sold through Next, ASOS, external websites, wholesale accounts, franchise operations and physical stores. Specific seasonal ranges and product assortments have changed over time.

• Children's apparel

  Lipsy children's clothing

  Lipsy's stated product scope includes children's apparel alongside its larger women's fashion business. The available reference material does not identify a separate children's sub-brand or provide a detailed product chronology.

• Fashion accessories

  Lipsy accessories

  Accessories form part of Lipsy's broader fashion assortment and complement its apparel offerings. The available sources do not specify a definitive list of accessory categories or a distinct flagship accessory line.

• Beauty · 2019

  Fabled by Marie Claire

  Fabled by Marie Claire was a beauty brand acquired by Lipsy in 2019. The acquisition expanded Lipsy's commercial scope from fashion into beauty, although detailed information about the acquired product range and its subsequent operating status is not provided in the available material.

• Women's apparel · 2021

  Love & Roses

  Love & Roses is a womenswear brand launched by Lipsy in 2021. It represents a distinct fashion proposition within the wider Lipsy portfolio, but the available sources do not provide detailed information about its target customer, assortment or distribution.

• Celebrity fashion collection

  Kardashian Kollections

  Lipsy worked with Kim, Khloé and Kourtney Kardashian and carried the Kardashian Kollections. The collection is documented as part of Lipsy's celebrity-linked commercial activity; detailed launch dates and product specifications are not available in the supplied references.

• Celebrity faces and collaborations

  United Kingdom · International

  Lipsy used celebrity association as a recurring part of its brand communication and fashion merchandising. Publicly identified faces of the label include Michelle Keegan, Pixie Lott, Alex Gerrard, Ariana Grande, Kelly Rohrbach, Kate Upton and Amy Jackson. Lipsy also collaborated with the Kardashian family and carried the Kardashian Kollections. The activity strengthened Lipsy's visibility and connected the brand with celebrity-led contemporary fashion, but the available sources do not report quantified campaign results.

  Outcome. The activity strengthened Lipsy's visibility and connected the brand with celebrity-led contemporary fashion, but the available sources do not report quantified campaign results.

  Source

• 2021

  Launch of Love & RosesProduct launch

  Background

  Lipsy continued developing multiple fashion propositions within its wider brand portfolio.

  Action taken

  The company launched Love & Roses as a womenswear brand.

  Aftermath

  Love & Roses became an additional womenswear proposition associated with the Lipsy portfolio.

  Source

• 2019

  Fabled by Marie Claire acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Lipsy sought to broaden its portfolio beyond apparel into beauty.

  Action taken

  Lipsy acquired Fabled by Marie Claire.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded the brand's stated business scope into beauty products.

  Source

• 2018

  Shift away from standalone e-commerceStrategy

  Background

  Lipsy reassessed the role of its own website within a distribution network that included Next, ASOS, external websites and physical retail.

  Action taken

  The brand stopped selling through its own website and focused on partner and in-store channels.

  Aftermath

  Lipsy continued to sell online and offline through external platforms, Next stores, wholesale and franchise operations.

  Source

• 2008

  Next plc acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Lipsy was acquired as part of Next plc's expansion of its fashion-brand portfolio.

  Action taken

  Next plc purchased Lipsy for £17.3 million.

  Aftermath

  Lipsy operated within the Next group while continuing to trade under its own brand identity.

  Acquisition price. £17.3 million (2008 acquisition)

  Source

• 2021

  Lipsy launches Love & Roses[1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Lipsy launched Love & Roses as a womenswear brand within its broader brand portfolio.

• 2019

  Lipsy acquires Fabled by Marie Claire[1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Lipsy acquired the Fabled by Marie Claire beauty brand, extending its portfolio into beauty.

• 2018

  Lipsy ends sales through its own website[1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The brand stopped selling through its own website and concentrated on external websites, Next, ASOS, and physical-store distribution.

• 2011

  Lipsy expands through Alhokair Group partnership[1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  Lipsy partnered with Alhokair Group to develop stores across several Middle Eastern, North African and Central Asian markets, while also expanding international wholesale distribution.

• 2008

  Next acquires Lipsy[1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Next plc purchased Lipsy for a reported £17.3 million, bringing the British fashion label into the Next group.

• 2006

  Lipsy launches its website[1]Lipsyen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Lipsy introduced a dedicated website, adding direct online retail to its distribution model.

1. 1Lipsyen.wikipedia.org