# PrettyLittleThing
**PrettyLittleThing** (PLT) is a British online fast-fashion retailer selling women's clothing, accessories, and beauty products, founded in Manchester in 2012 by brothers Adam and [Umar Kamani](https://www.edgepedia.org/umar-kamani) and owned since 2017 by boohoo Group plc (now Debenhams Group).[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us) • [2](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--boo/completion-of-acquisition/4544039) The brand began as an accessories-only website, added clothing in 2013, and grew into a trend-led e-commerce fashion label aimed at young women in the UK and international markets.[2](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--boo/completion-of-acquisition/4544039)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 in Manchester by brothers Adam and Umar Kamani, initially as an accessories-only brand[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us) |
| Corporate entity | PrettyLittleThing.com Limited, company number 07352417, incorporated 20 August 2010 as 21THREE CLOTHING COMPANY LIMITED and renamed on 16 February 2018[3](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07352417) |
| Acquisition | boohoo.com plc bought 66% of 21 Three Clothing Company Ltd for £3.3 million cash, completed 3 January 2017[2](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--boo/completion-of-acquisition/4544039) |
| Growth | Revenue growth of 228% reported for FY2018 and 107% for FY2019[4](https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/b/LSE_BOO.L_2018.pdf) • [5](https://www.boohooplc.com/sites/boohoo-corp/files/all-documents/result-centre/2019/Prelim-fy19-corrected-no-rns-header.pdf) |
| Rebrand | March 2025 relaunch with model Elsa Hosk, shifting to an elevated, timeless product offering and a burgundy and muted-pink palette[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us) |
| Range | Over 85,000 products across sizes 4 to 32, including PLT Plus, PLT Petite, PLT Shape and PLT Tall fit ranges[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us) |
| Recent performance | Adjusted EBITDA improved by £15.0 million in FY26, from a £1.0 million loss to a £14.0 million profit[6](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--debs/final-results/9619517) |
## Founding and early growth
The company behind the brand, registered at [Companies House](https://www.edgepedia.org/companies-house) as 21THREE CLOTHING COMPANY LIMITED in August 2010, launched PrettyLittleThing in 2012.[3](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07352417) • [1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us) The Kamani brothers came from a Manchester family with generations of experience in clothing importing, part of a wave of Manchester-based online fashion companies that also included boohoo and Missguided.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/17/missguided-pretty-little-thing-hit-big-time-fast-fashion-generation-z) The site started with accessories only; after customers showed they wanted complete outfits, a clothing range was introduced in 2013.[2](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--boo/completion-of-acquisition/4544039)
The brand's identity rested on hot pink branding and a unicorn logo, with trend-led, celebrity-inspired fashion at low prices.[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us) [Celebrity](https://www.edgepedia.org/celebrity) and influencer partnerships drove much of the early growth: collaborations and campaigns included [Lucy Mecklenburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucy-mecklenburgh) (2015), [Sofia Richie](https://www.edgepedia.org/sofia-richie) and Chantel Jeffries (2016), Kourtney Kardashian and Olivia Culpo (2017), Hailey Baldwin, Teyana Taylor, Ashley Graham, Maya Jama and Karl Kani (2018), and Molly-Mae Hague, Ashanti and others in 2019.[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us) In 2016 the company launched its USA site, marking the milestone with a Los Angeles event hosted by Kylie Jenner, and the following year it was named one of the three fastest-growing fashion companies.[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us)
## Ownership by boohoo Group
On 3 January 2017, boohoo.com plc completed the acquisition of 66% of 21 Three Clothing Company Ltd, paying £3.3 million in cash on a cash-free, debt-free basis, with consolidation from that date.[2](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--boo/completion-of-acquisition/4544039) The group's FY2017 results included two months of PrettyLittleThing trading, contributing £11.2 million of revenue to a group total of £294.6 million.[8](https://www.boohooplc.com/sites/boohoo-corp/files/all-documents/result-centre/2017/prelim-fy17-26-04-17-v1.pdf) boohoo held an option to buy the remaining 34% non-controlling interest on 14 March 2022 for market value or less, subject to performance criteria.[8](https://www.boohooplc.com/sites/boohoo-corp/files/all-documents/result-centre/2017/prelim-fy17-26-04-17-v1.pdf)
Growth after acquisition was rapid. The FY2018 annual report recorded PrettyLittleThing revenue growth of 228% against a base that included only the two-month post-acquisition period of the prior year.[4](https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/b/LSE_BOO.L_2018.pdf) In FY2019 the brand continued to perform strongly, with a stated growth rate of 107%.[5](https://www.boohooplc.com/sites/boohoo-corp/files/all-documents/result-centre/2019/Prelim-fy19-corrected-no-rns-header.pdf) A referral-marketing case study described the brand as one of the most popular fashion retailers for women aged 18 to 24.[9](https://resources.mention-me.com/hubfs/a_Case-Studies/UK_case%20studies/PLT/Pretty%20Little%20Thing%20Referral%20Case%20Study.pdf)
## The 2025 rebrand
In March 2025 the brand relaunched with Swedish model [Elsa Hosk](https://www.edgepedia.org/elsa-hosk) as its face, moving toward a more elevated and timeless product offering intended to prioritize quality, fit and longevity.[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us) The rebrand changed the color palette to burgundy and muted pinks, matured the unicorn logo into a heritage-inspired mark, and introduced a new tagline positioning PLT as a style source for a broadened customer base.[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us) The company also launched PLT Society, a group of employees who share behind-the-scenes content, and in June 2025 announced the PrettyLittleThing Health & Social Club, a monthly athleisure line supported by community events.[1](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us)
## Business performance and group context
PrettyLittleThing operates within Debenhams Group, the renamed boohoo Group, alongside boohoo, boohooMAN, Karen Millen and [Debenhams](https://www.edgepedia.org/debenhams).[6](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--debs/final-results/9619517) During FY26 the brand was migrated onto the group's proprietary technology platform as part of a shift toward fashion-led marketplaces.[6](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--debs/final-results/9619517) After a £1.0 million [Adjusted EBITDA](https://www.edgepedia.org/adjusted-ebitda) loss in FY25, the brand delivered a £14.0 million Adjusted EBITDA profit in FY26, a £15.0 million improvement; in January 2026 the board decided to retain PLT within continuing operations rather than pursue a disposal.[6](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--debs/final-results/9619517)
## Criticism and reception
The brand has drawn criticism on several fronts. A 2019 collection with the girl group [Little Mix](https://www.edgepedia.org/little-mix), launched on 6 November, was accused of cultural appropriation for a sexualized interpretation of the traditional Chinese qipao dress.[10](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/little-mix-pretty-little-things-collection-cultural-appropriation-asian-women-a9200806.html) Consumer groups criticized its 8p dress sales as pricing designed to generate social media buzz and encourage throwaway consumption.[11](https://legitness.co.uk/prettylittlething/) An independent climate assessment by SINK scored the company 12 out of 100, in its critical-concern band, based on public data.[12](https://www.sinkproject.com/company/prettylittlething)
Customer-service reception is mixed to negative on review platforms. Trustpilot shows a score of 2.9 out of 5 across 110,821 reviews, with recurring complaints about delayed deliveries, missing parcels, and slow or refused refunds, alongside some praise for individual support agents.[13](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/prettylittlething.com) An aggregated review analysis covering 43 reviews from [Trustpilot](https://www.edgepedia.org/trustpilot), Sitejabber and Collected.reviews similarly reports refunds that never arrive, stalled returns, and unhelpful automated replies, with 33 of the 43 reviews rated one star.[14](https://collected.reviews/online-shop/prettylittlething-reviews) A case study comparing PLT with SHEIN noted that PLT does not offer customer reviews with photos on its own site, a difference in available information sources for shoppers.[15](https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/issue-full-file/75545)
## References
1. [About Us, PrettyLittleThing](https://www.prettylittlething.com/pages/informational/about-us)
2. [Completion of Acquisition, boohoo.com plc RNS, 3 January 2017, Investegate](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--boo/completion-of-acquisition/4544039)
3. [PRETTYLITTLETHING.COM LIMITED overview, Companies House](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07352417)
4. [Boohoo.com PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2018](https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/b/LSE_BOO.L_2018.pdf)
5. [boohoo group plc Preliminary Results FY2019](https://www.boohooplc.com/sites/boohoo-corp/files/all-documents/result-centre/2019/Prelim-fy19-corrected-no-rns-header.pdf)
6. [Final Results, Debenhams Group (boohoo group plc), 16 June 2026, Investegate](https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/boohoo-group--debs/final-results/9619517)
7. [Young, quick and very hip: Missguided and PrettyLittleThing hit the big time, The Guardian, 17 December 2016](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/17/missguided-pretty-little-thing-hit-big-time-fast-fashion-generation-z)
8. [boohoo.com plc Preliminary Results FY2017](https://www.boohooplc.com/sites/boohoo-corp/files/all-documents/result-centre/2017/prelim-fy17-26-04-17-v1.pdf)
9. [Pretty Little Thing Referral Case Study, Mention Me](https://resources.mention-me.com/hubfs/a_Case-Studies/UK_case%20studies/PLT/Pretty%20Little%20Thing%20Referral%20Case%20Study.pdf)
10. [Little Mix's new PrettyLittleThing collection accused of cultural appropriation, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/little-mix-pretty-little-things-collection-cultural-appropriation-asian-women-a9200806.html)
11. [Is Pretty Little Thing Legit? We Checked, Legitness](https://legitness.co.uk/prettylittlething/)
12. [PrettyLittleThing Sustainability Score, SINK](https://www.sinkproject.com/company/prettylittlething)
13. [PrettyLittleThing Reviews, Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/prettylittlething.com)
14. [PrettyLittleThing Reviews & Analysis, Collected.reviews](https://collected.reviews/online-shop/prettylittlething-reviews)
15. [The impact of user-generated content in the fashion industry: A case study of SHEIN and PrettyLittleThing, DergiPark](https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/issue-full-file/75545)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts › Textile and clothing industry › Clothing brands and retail › Online clothing retail*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license