Love Island stars past and present are raking in hundreds of thousands with fashion deals with top brands - Pretty Little Thing, Oh Polly, and ASOS
PrettyLittleThing Announces Gemma Owen as latest UK Brand Ambassador
Image: PrettyLittleThing)
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Love Island and fashion deals now go hand in hand with brands eyeing up their next ambassadors before they've even left the villa. The success of 2019 finalist Molly-Mae Hague, now creative director of Pretty Little Thing, has demonstrated how the hit ITV2 reality show can propel the careers of islanders.
This week, we've seen former Welsh paramedic Paige Thorne strike a six-figure deal with Forever Unique for a 'timeless' collection while winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu is yet to lift the lid on her reportedly record-breaking deal with Oh Polly. Gemma Owen has walked in the footsteps of Molly-Mae with a six-figure deal with PLT - at just 19.
But the move sparked some backlash as the brand had asked shoppers who they'd like to see bag the spot - with Indiyah Polack securing the most votes. Here, we take a look at the Love Island figures past and present who have landed six-figure deals with fashion brands:
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Paige Thorne
Paige's party collection launches in October
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( Forever Unique)
Forever Unique says they loved Paige from the start
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( Forever Unique)
Paige Thorne, who was forced to quit her £30k job as an NHS paramedic, has signed a six-figure fashion deal with global brand Forever Unique.
It's the 24-year-old's first-ever collaboration since leaving the villa - with a party collection set to launch this autumn.
Owned by Real Housewives of Cheshire star Seema Malhotra, Forever Unique is said to have loved Paige since her first episode, saying she was a “perfect fit”.
Paige said: “This is a real pinch me moment, I can’t believe I have my very own collection with a brand I’ve loved for years!"
She added: “I love that Forever Unique offers wardrobe staples that last a lifetime. I wanted my collection to be a considered purchase, using high quality materials and taking me out of my comfort zone.”
The new party collection is said to be ‘inspired by Paige’s premium and girly aesthetic’ and will ‘showcase high-fashion, feminine shapes designed to elevate your look, with attention to detail being at the core’.
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu
Ekin has reportedly signed the biggest deal in Love Island history
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( ekinsuofficial/Instagram)
Davide and Ekin-Su were crowned winners of this year's series
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( Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock)
As the winner of Love Island 2022, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu has reportedly signed a record-breaking £1million deal with Scottish label Oh Polly – the biggest in the show’s history.
The 28-year-old signed for a seven-figure sum after being “inundated with offers” after claiming the £50k ITV prize with Davide Sanclimenti.
The brand is a "perfect fit" for Ekin-Su, according to MailOnline, who wore their items 27 times while on the show - although with the partnership with eBay, they would have been pre-owned.
Gemma Owen
PrettyLittleThing Announces Gemma Owen as latest UK Brand Ambassador
Image:
( PrettyLittleThing)
Gemma Owen has signed a very lucrative six-figure deal with fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing.
The 19-year-old daughter of footballer Michael Owen is the first Love Island star since Molly-Mae Hague to sign with the fast fashion company.
She was handpicked by the founder Umar Kamani, 34, and his team.
Gemma, who came second in the final with Luca Bish, said: "This really is a dream come true for me."
"I wore PrettyLittleThing throughout my time on the show and now being announced as one of their newest ambassadors alongside some incredible talent including Love Island alumni is really special."
However, it didn't come without controversy.
Some fans were left angered and confused with PLT who had asked shoppers in a series of tweets who they wanted to see as the next brand ambassador.
Twitter users were asked to retweet each post depending on who they thought should land the top spot - with Indiyah Polack coming out with the vote votes.
Isa Perez said: "If they were going to give Gemma this deal anyway why did PLT ask the public to vote? And Indiyah won the vote…
"Just another day of brands using black people for clickbait and nothing else."
Ruva said: "PLT did two polls to see who should get their £1 million deal.
"Indiyah won both times and they still chose Gemma? My suspicions have been confirmed."
But Twitter user Josh added: "Imagine if this whole time Indiyah turned down the plt deal".
Tasha Ghouri
Tasha is now working with eBay
Tasha was the first out of this year's alumni to sign a fashion deal, with the partner of the series eBay.
Tasha, who came fourth on the ITV2 dating show alongside partner Andrew Le Page, announced her new role as the marketplace’s ‘pre-loved ambassador’ via a post on her Instagram.
In a bid to become more sustainable this season, Love Island partnered with eBay, encouraging the Islanders to wear pre-loved clothes while in the villa, and it’s the first non-fast fashion brand partnership to come out of the cult TV series.
Alongside a series of promotional photos, Tasha wrote: "A BIRTHDAY GIFT TO LAST A LIFETIME. I am over the moon to announce I am @ebay_uk first ever pre-loved ambassador.
"Prior to Love Island, I've always bought secondhand for my wardrobe, so partnering with #eBay really is a dream come true.
"I feel passionately that we can all make little swaps to our wardrobes and our lives for the better and so I’m excited to join eBay on their mission to put secondhand fashion front and centre."
Millie Court
Millie Court partnered with Asos
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( INSTAGRAM)
Last year's winner Millie Court teamed up with Asos where they reportedly paid £1.4million for a 12-month contract.
The 25-year-old, who worked in the buying department for the online retailer before joining the dating show, has done another collection since, as well as becoming the face of Puma’s exclusive Asos shoe collection.
When her first drop landed last December, the website crashed due to demand.
Liberty Poole
Love Island favourite Liberty Poole was snapped up by ITS
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( Instagram)
Despite not winning the series, Liberty Poole was a favourite from last year and landed a six-figure deal with In The Style.
She became the lastest celebrity to work with the Manchester fashion brand - which has a string of celebrity collabs including with Stacey Solomon and Jac Jossa.
The 22-year-old followed in the footsteps of Danni Dyer - the 2018 winner - who signed a £500k deal for a capsule clothing and swimwear range before a maternity range when she was pregnant with her son Santiago.
Amber Gill
Amber Gill did a collab with MissPap
Hugely popular Amber Gill, who won Love Island 2019, was inundated with brand offers when she returned home from the Spanish villa.
The former beautician from Newcastle ended up signing with MissPap for a reportedly £1m deal.
Announcing the news at the time, she said the unveiling had been long anticipated.
"I wanted to take my time in the design process so my collection is perfect, embodies my style and more importantly is inclusive for girls of all shapes and sizes," she said on Instagram.
"I cannot wait for you to see what I’ve been working on you know it’s going to be GOOOD."
Molly-Mae Hague
Molly is known as the most successful Love Island contestant to date
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( mollymae/Instagram)
Molly-Mae Hague, 23, is known as the most successful Love Island contestant to date.
The 2019 finalist, who is still with boyfriend Tommy Fury who she met on the ITV2 show, secured a £500,000 deal with Pretty Little Thing when she came out of the villa - and just this week launched her latest collection.
Following the success of her designs, she was announced as the brand's creative director last year, and is said to earn a six-figure salary.
Molly-Mae, who has amassed 6.4m Instagram followers on her personal account, has gone on to buy her dream Cheshire mansion with Tommy.
Maura Higgins
Maura Higgins Ann Summers Christmas event
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( Dave Benett/Getty Images for Ann)
Maura still works with the brand
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( Irish Mirror)
Maura Higgins, who took part in the 2019 season and became loved for her feisty attitude, struck a £500k deal to be a Boohoo ambassador upon leaving the villa. The 31-year-old's open talk about 'fanny flutters' paid off, as she has since become the face of Ann Summers after a six-figure deal, with campaign after campaign.
Olivia Attwood
Olivia has secured a number of fashion deals
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( Olivia Attwood/Instagram)
Despite leaving Love Island five years ago, Olivia is still a key figure in the world of fashion.
When she left the villa in 2017, she worked with In The Style after bagging a £500k deal.
Then in 2020, the media personality secured another £500k deal but with I Saw It First, and delivered a second successful collection with them last year.
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