Gemma Owen hits back at trolls who call her style ‘boring’ as she releases another beige PLT line

From the moment Gemma Owen’s first Pretty Little Thing collection was unveiled in October, everyone on TikTok thought it was boring. “It’s giving audition for Real Housewives of Cheshire. This is something I’d see one of those mothers wear,” said one user. “I get she is trying to give off this mature aesthetic and she wants to present herself very well but it’s giving very much mundane and boring.”

And, as Gemma releases her second (almost all beige) Pretty Little Thing collection, she had something to say back to the people who attacked her style: “I think neutral is sort of authentic to me,” Gemma told The Tab. “You can dress it up. You can dress it down. All the tones go together. It’s timeless as well. They’re not one wear items.”

Image credit via Pretty Little Thing

As a fast fashion brand, Pretty Little Thing has previously been criticised by activists for not “caring about the planet” and flogging low cost clothes that shoppers buy precisely to wear once. When the brand released their platform Pretty Little Thing marketplace, former islander Brett Staniland called the move an “eye roll”, criticising the brand for Greenwashing and putting responsibility back on consumers to “resell, rewear, and recycle” the overwhelming number of items made and sold.

But, as Pretty Little Thing’s latest ambassador, Gemma doesn’t appear worried her collection is contributing towards environmental damage: “I’m still really happy to be involved with a brand that’s doing their best to work towards sustainability,” she says. “30 per cent of [PLT’s] products are going to be sustainable by 2025. And there’s some pieces in the collection that are sustainable and made from recycled fabric. So, ya know, I think that’s definitely something that’s really important. I think that’s something that, obviously, we should all be working towards.”

Image credit via Pretty Little Thing

Despite Pretty Little Thing’s environmentally focused goals, Gemma and her PLT team flew to LA to shoot her latest collection. Gemma says she found modelling “daunting” but it’s something she’s getting used to— especially as there are some items, including a surprising high-rise electric blue mesh bodysuit that are seemingly (finally) out of her comfort zone:

“We are experimenting with different patterns and a few other colours,” she says. “[We want] to cater to everyone and have something in there that everyone will like.”

Image credit via Pretty Little Thing

Love Island 2023 continues at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX. For all the latest Love Island news and gossip and for the best memes and quizzes, like The Holy Church of Love Island on Facebook.

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