{{Short description|British lingerie company}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}} {{Infobox company | name = Blue Bella Ltd<ref>{{cite web |last1=Companies House |title=BLUE BELLA LTD |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05566892/filing-history |website=gov.uk |access-date=5 January 2024}}</ref> | logo = Bluebella logo.svg | image_alt = Bluebella lingerie business logo | foundation = 2005 | founder = Emily Bendell | hq_location = Brickfields, Unit 201, 37 Cremer Street | location_city = [[London]] | location_country = England | key_people = Emily Bendell | trading_name = Bluebella | type = [[Privately held company|Private]] | industry = [[Lingerie]][[Retail]] | products = | net_income = {{Increase}} £14.8 million <ref>{{cite web |last1=Companies House |title=Blue Bella Limited Annual Report and Financial Statements: For the year ended 31 December 2022 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|website=gov.uk |access-date=5 January 2024 |language=en}}</ref> | net_income_year = 2022 | assets = {{Increase}} £4.5 million <ref>{{cite web |last1=Companies House |title=Blue Bella Limited Annual Report and Financial Statements: For the year ended 31 December 2022 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|website=gov.uk |access-date=5 January 2024 |language=en}}</ref> | assets_year = 2022 | num_employees = | parent = | subsid = | homepage = http://www.bluebella.com | headquarters = [[London]], United Kingdom }}
'''Bluebella''' is a British lingerie company founded in 2005 by Emily Bendell, with operations in the UK, US, Australia, France and Italy. It is headquartered in [[London]], United Kingdom.
Early investors included [[James Averdieck]], founder of [[Gü]], the investor network Incito Ventures and the South East Seed Fund. Bluebella was the first company to get funds from the London-based female investor club Addidi Business Angels.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/money/investment/article3475163.ece|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121020043719/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/money/investment/article3475163.ece|url-status= dead|archive-date= 20 October 2012|title=Angels Go Where Banks Fear To Tread|work=[[The Times]]|date=14 July 2012|access-date=18 March 2014|last1=Milner|first1=Leah}}</ref>
The business experienced rapid growth, doubling turnover every 12 months from 2007 to 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/small_business/article433864.ece|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140319103925/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/small_business/article433864.ece|url-status= dead|archive-date= 19 March 2014|title=Big Guns Give More Bang To Start-Ups|work=[[The Times]]|date=31 October 2010|access-date=18 March 2014|last1=Colman|first1=Elizabeth}}</ref>
==History== Company founder Emily Bendell studied [[philosophy, politics and economics]] at [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], and worked as a journalist on a legal journal for a few years, before founding Bluebella in 2005.<ref name="Marie Claire">{{cite news |last1=Ramsdale |first1=Suzannah |title=Meet the woman who designed the Fifty Shades of Grey lingerie range… |url=https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/work/mc-meets-emily-bendell-founder-of-bluebella-82107 |accessdate=28 April 2020 |work=Marie Claire |date=18 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="Evening Standard"/>
Bendell road-tested her idea for six months, doing parties for friends and family members. She told Jazz FM's Elliot Moss: "It was just me in my bedroom initially. I'd go out and do the orders, then I’d do all the packing and, if someone called, I'd answer the phones too."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.impishfish.com/podcast/wttw/index.php?id=43|title=Emily Bendell On Jazz Shapers|work=Jazz FM|date=1 November 2012|accessdate=18 March 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319103144/http://www.impishfish.com/podcast/wttw/index.php?id=43|archivedate=19 March 2014}}</ref>
In an interview with the fashion industry trade magazine [[Drapers (magazine)|Drapers]], Bendell explained how she overcame sexism to secure investment from well-connected female investors. "There is an issue in this country, particularly with female-focused businesses, because the investment community is very male dominated. Before crowd-funding, we had previously been through some angel investor rounds. The business angel community is 95% male and typically invest in businesses they understand and have experience of. After one early round of funding, I was quite disillusioned and just put on an event myself, cold-calling high-net worth women asking them to come along."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.drapersonline.com/people/bluebella-from-fifty-shades-of-grey-to-john-lewis-and-next/7027689.article|title=Bluebella: from Fifty Shades of Grey to John Lewis and Next|first=Emily|last=Sutherl|website=Drapers|date=7 December 2017 }}</ref>
By 2008, Bluebella had 100 agents operating across the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nottinghampost.com/Blue-Bella-takes-lingerie-Paris/story-12275900-detail/story.html/|title=Bluebella takes lingerie to Paris|work=Nottingham Post|date=1 October 2008|accessdate=18 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318062029/http://www.nottinghampost.com/Blue-Bella-takes-lingerie-Paris/story-12275900-detail/story.html|archive-date=18 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other online retailers, including [[ASOS.com|ASOS]] and [[Figleaves]], began stocking Bluebella's lingerie range.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lingerieinsight.com/article-4645-bluebella-to-launch-erotic-garments-at-selfridges/|title=Bluebella to launch erotic garments at Selfridges|work=LingerieInsight|date=7 February 2014|accessdate=18 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320013749/http://www.lingerieinsight.com/article-4645-bluebella-to-launch-erotic-garments-at-selfridges/|archive-date=20 March 2014|url-status=usurped|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
In February 2014, the department store [[Selfridges]] announced that it would be stocking Bluebella lingerie.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://fashion-bust.com/2014/02/07/bluebella-launch-selfridges-london-store/|title=Selfridges adds erotic brand Bluebella to its lingerie portfolio|work=Fashion Bust|date=7 February 2014|accessdate=18 March 2014}}</ref> For 2014, sales tripled to £3.7 million, with a profit of £347,000 against a £430,300 loss the previous year, boosted by [[Tesco]] selling their ''Fifty Shades'' range.<ref name="Evening Standard">{{cite news |last1=Lawson |first1=Alex |title=London lingerie brand Bluebella slips into profit after sales triple on the Fifty Shades of Grey effect |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/business/london-lingerie-brand-bluebella-slips-into-profit-after-sales-triple-on-the-fifty-shades-of-grey-a2905611.html |accessdate=28 April 2020 |work=The Evening Standard |date=18 August 2015}}</ref>
The company raised over £1m in a crowd-fund in December 2016 to expand into the US.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.standard.co.uk/fashion/bluebella-lingerie-nets-1m-funding-for-expansion-in-us-a3420451.html|title=Bluebella lingerie nets £1m funding for expansion in US|date=14 December 2016|website=Evening Standard}}</ref> By summer 2018 they were stocked in [[Bloomingdale's]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/bluebella-expands-in-the-u-s/2018081031205|title=Bluebella expands in the U.S.|first=Kristopher|last=Fraser|date=10 August 2018|website=fashionunited.uk}}</ref> and [[Nordstrom]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shop.nordstrom.com/sr/BLUEBELLA|title=Nordstrom|website=shop.nordstrom.com}}</ref> department stores and online retailers Revolve<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.revolve.com/bluebella/br/82f301/|title=Bluebella - REVOLVE|website=www.revolve.com}}</ref> and ShopBop.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shopbop.com/bluebella/br/v=1/52927.htm?all|title=Bluebella | SHOPBOP|website=www.shopbop.com}}</ref> They had media coverage, with actress [[Maggie Gyllenhaal]] and singer [[Nicki Minaj]] wearing their lingerie in photo shoots.<ref name="Metro">{{cite news |last1=Bakar |first1=Faima |title=Everyone's loving the Bluebella Pandora bra on Instagram |url=https://metro.co.uk/2018/02/26/everyones-loving-the-bluebella-pandora-bra-on-instagram-7343424/ |accessdate=28 April 2020 |work=Metro |date=26 February 2018}}</ref>
In 2016, Bluebella worked with three GB Olympic athletes on a body confidence campaign, #BeStrongBeBeautiful, to get more schoolgirls into sport and fitness.<ref name="Standard">{{Cite web|url=http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/health/rio-olympics-2016-team-gb-hopefuls-tell-girls-to-be-proud-of-your-athletic-bodies-a3282546.html|title=Team GB hopefuls tell girls to 'be proud of your athletic bodies'|date=28 June 2016|website=Evening Standard}}</ref> The company launched the campaign, as statistics showed that more than half of secondary school girls drop out of sport after the age of 13 because of body issues and negative experiences of PE lessons. Windsurfer Bryony Shaw, shooter Amber Hill and Paralympic long-jumper Stefanie Reid did a shoot in Bluebella lingerie and discussed their body confidence issues growing up to try to encourage girls to do more sport and fitness activities.<ref name="Standard"/>
In July 2018, the company formed a swimwear design collaboration with [[List of Love Island (British TV series) contestants|Amber Davies]], winner of reality TV series [[Love Island (2015 TV series, series 3)|Love Island Series 3]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://graziadaily.co.uk/celebrity/news/love-island-amber-davies-jack-dani-dyer/|title=Love Island's Amber Davies On How Her Life And Relationship Changed After The Show|website=Grazia|year=2018 }}</ref>
In 2019, they formed a wholesale partnership with [[Victoria's Secret]], with Bluebella's autumn 19 collection being stocked in selected stores and online.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Whelan |first1=Grace |title=Victoria's Secret teams up with Bluebella |url=https://www.drapersonline.com/news/latest-news/victorias-secret-teams-up-with-bluebella/7037902.article |accessdate=3 May 2020 |work=Drapers |date=7 October 2019}}</ref> For the month of March 2020, the company donated £1 from every purchase to social enterprise Beam.org, to crowdfund job training for homeless women.<ref name="Underlines">{{cite news |title=Bluebella to donate £1 from every purchase to fund careers for homeless women |url=https://underlinesmagazine.com/2020/03/16/bluebella-donate-fund-careers-homeless-women/ |accessdate=28 April 2020 |work=Underlines |date=16 March 2020}}</ref>
==Recognition and awards== Bendell has been invited to receptions at [[Buckingham Palace]] and [[10 Downing Street]]. In 2012, she became one of a dozen ambassadors for the government's newly-formed start-up loans company, which provided mentor-supported loans to young people looking to start their own businesses.<ref>{{cite web|title=£80 million start up loans for new businesses|newspaper=Gov.uk |url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/lord-young-report-enterprise/|publisher=HM Government|accessdate=18 July 2012}}</ref> The scheme, which also involved ''[[Dragon's Den]]'' investor [[James Caan (entrepreneur)|James Caan]], was promoted by Bendell alongside other young entrepreneurs such as James Eder (The Beans Group) and Romy Lewis (Lola's Kitchen).<ref>{{cite news|last=Sharkey|first=Linda|title=Government's scheme reveals ambassadors to inspire young entrepreneurs|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/governments-scheme-reveals-ambassadors-to-inspire-young-entrepreneurs-7959887.html|accessdate=2 March 2015|newspaper=The Independent|date=19 July 2013}}</ref> In 2014, Bendell was included in the ''[[Management Today]]'' "35 under 35" list of the UK's most successful young women entrepreneurs.<ref>{{cite news |title=Emily Bendell, Founder, Bluebella |url=https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/emily-bendell-founder-bluebella/article/1301517 |accessdate=3 May 2020 |work=Management Today |date=6 July 2014}}</ref>
In 2017 and 2018, Bluebella won ''[[Drapers (magazine)|Drapers]]'' "Lingerie Brand of the Year" award.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://awards.drapersonline.com/winners-2017|title=Winners 2017 | Drapers Awards|website=awards.drapersonline.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bluebella named Lingerie Brand of the Year at Drapers Awards |url=https://underlinesmagazine.com/2017/12/04/bluebella-lingerie-brand-year-drapers-awards/ |accessdate=3 May 2020 |work=Underlines |date=4 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Geoghegan |first1=Jill |title=Drapers Awards 2018 winners revealed |url=https://www.drapersonline.com/news/drapers-awards-2018-winners-revealed/7033210.article |accessdate=3 May 2020 |work=Drapers |date=29 November 2018}}</ref> In 2018, they won Marketing Campaign of the Year at the UK Lingerie Awards 2018 for their "Dare To Bare" campaign launch for September 2017's [[London Fashion Week]], in which 19 non-professional models did an outdoor catwalk show at [[Oxford Circus]].<ref>{{cite news |title=UK Lingerie Awards 2018 winners announced |url=https://www.diarydirectory.com/newsarticle/uk-lingerie-awards-2018-winners-announced/17413 |accessdate=3 May 2020 |work=DIARY directory |date=21 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uk.style.yahoo.com/lingerie-brand-turns-oxford-street-catwalk-promote-body-confidence-091302875.html|title=Lingerie brand turns Oxford Street into a catwalk to promote body confidence|website=uk.style.yahoo.com|date=15 September 2017 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bluebella}} [[Category:British brands]] [[Category:Fair trade brands]] [[Category:Retail companies of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Companies based in the London Borough of Hounslow]] [[Category:Cosmetics companies of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Retail companies established in 2005]] [[Category:2005 establishments in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Lingerie brands]]