All of the Made In Chelsea cast members’ business ventures that flopped hard

Tbh, what do you expect when you call a tracksuit company Ambience Vibes

1 year ago

If there’s one thing that’s as certain as the sun rising, it’s that Made in Chelsea cast members will use their appearance on Channel 4 to promote their side hustle business ventures. Because, as Ella May Ding recently revealed on her podcast, MIC stars aren’t actually paid that much–and they’ve got to keep their inherited fortunes up somehow.

Candy Kittens, Serge DeNimes, Clean Kitchen Club, there have been some serious MIC business successes– but what about the big ideas that even mummy and daddy’s investment funding couldn’t quite make work? These are the biggest Made in Chelsea business flops:

Melissa and Harry’s loungewear brand

If ever there was a warning to not start a business with your boyfriend this is it. Melissa and Harry ran a premium loungewear brand together before they split and, although the website is still functioning, there are no products currently available.

The problem with love-tinted glasses in business is that there’s no one to tell you when your ideas are crap and the couple was forced to rename the brand from Ambience Vibes to Ambience The Label after getting rinsed for using two words that mean the same thing in the title. When their romance hit the rocks, so seemingly did their start up.

Digby’s nightlife app that doesn’t make any sense

“Think Uber, but for the hospitality world,” is the nonsensical LinkedIn explanation of Digby’s nightlife app Ping Culture. Essentially, it helps you organise a night out through curated lists of venues you may well have seen on Made in Chelsea. It doesn’t really do anything that Google or the recs on your TikTok For You Page wouldn’t and the description of Digby on the site is especially wanky:

“We bring you Jude Law 2.0…. Or Digby Edgley.. for those of you in the know. Digs is one of the legendary founding partners of Ping and, as far as charm goes, there’s no one more deadly. Digby’s one million kilowatt smile has led him to some of the world’s most beautiful bars, venues and settings and imbued the man child with knowledge that extends far into the cosmos…expect his vibe to be stylish, sleek and not lacking in substance. Jude Law… Mr Napkin Face better watch his tail.” Vom.

Tiff and Lucy’s vegan restaurant in Parsons Green

Even with the help of their restaurateur father, Lucy and Tiff Watson’s plant based restaurant Tell Your Friends folded in 2020 after two years in business— right before the coronavirus chaos even hit the hospitality industry.

“We are sorry to announce that TYF London is now closed,” they said on their website at the time. “We had two wonderful years at our Parsons Green home, and couldn’t have done any of it without our fantastic, loyal customers and dedicated team of staff.”

Miles’ production label that no one is signed to

Miles might have studied at Brit School and have his father Jacques, the founder of the Artpeggios Music and Art School behind him, but his production label NuffSaid still seems to have faded into irrelevance. You can listen to his musical abilities on Soundcloud here.

Millie’s clothing brand that suddenly collapsed

Despite being worn by Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevinge and selling the most products of any brand on ASOS in 2016, Millie Mackintosh’s label flopped into oblivion in 2016 and went into voluntary liquidation with Millie reportedly losing around £178,000.

“Despite our efforts and being a top seller with a number of stockists, the financial climate in the fashion industry has proved immensely challenging and the business is no longer sustainable,” she told the Evening Standard.

Julius’ seriously chaotic life coaching business

You have to DM Julius on the life coaching account he shares with his brother (@cowdreycoaches) to get an appointment with him for some words of wisdom. And it’s clear this business model and the career pivot in general has gone down like a sack of shit with his fellow MIC cast members and his target audience.

“He’s a life coach? Doesn’t he live at home with his mum? He’s a trainer on how to ruin lives, is that what it is?,” questioned Reza while Sam Prince added: “You’re a life coach? Get a fucking real job mate.”

Victoria Baker Harber’s neutral beachwear range

Its slogan was “All things beach, bright, and beautiful” but Victoria BH’s swimwear line mostly consisted of strapless black or white bikinis worn in various expensive resorts by her numerous socialite friends. The brand had a quiet demise and posted their last Instagram (no website) in 2018, which got 94 likes.