I paid £140 for the Maebe blazer – it was broken within 3 hours and a waste of money

Abby McHale, the deputy fashion editor at Fabulous, has shared her candid thoughts on Maebe…

“LOVE Island is not synonymous with mature, sophisticated style, but it will come as no surprise to fans of Molly-Mae Haag that this is the theme of her first fashion collection.

The 25-year-old influencer and mother of one-year-old Bambi has done everything she can to shake off the villa image: trading bikinis and lip fillers for comfortable clothes and hardly any make-up.

She even recently dumped her Love Island fiancé and father of her child, Tommy Fury, amid accusations of infidelity. So it was inevitable that her exclusive clothing collection, maebe, would be as far away from glamorous bodycon party dresses as possible.

From that perspective, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

The range, which appeared on Molly’s new website last night (Sunday) at 7pm maebe.co.ukwas tipped that it would sell out almost immediately. It consists of tailored oversized blazers, sharp shirts and denim – all in Molly’s signature neutral palette.

A passion project, as she calls it, that has been two years in the making. Molly said she wanted to offer her fans some luxury without the price tag. She said she poured her heart into creating “high quality pieces” at an “accessible price.”

Accessible? I’m not so sure: the range ranges from £35 to £140, so it’s more expensive than the regular high street. But it’s a price her followers seem willing to pay, even if it’s a strain on their budgets.

One fan commented on the maebe Instagram saying, “I can already feel my bank account draining,” while another echoed the same thought, saying, “I’m out of money.”

A seasoned influencer, Molly knows how to attract her followers – even before the brand launched yesterday, the maebe account on Instagram had over 800,000 followers.

And at a sold-out pop-up event in London last week, she gave some lucky fans a sneak peek at the collection, hyping fans in the run-up to the event with comments like “maybe it’s just not worth missing.” She then wrote to her 8.3 million followers: “I don’t think I’ll ever get over today. Meeting so many of you and celebrating Maebe Store was one of the best days of my life! I cannot express how grateful I am for all of you who are on this journey with me.”

Molly, who hails from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, knows the key to her success is her fans – she’s built a loyal following and they’re so obsessed with her style that they want to be just like her.

So now she’s giving back to her ‘community’, giving them access to clothes designed by her.
However, she is also a smart businesswoman. She is perhaps the most successful contestant to emerge from the villa yet, having already had six figurewear deals and a successful beauty range.

She knows that if her fashion brand wants to be a real success, she needs to attract a broader market.

That’s probably why she chose to collaborate with premium digital magazine Sheer Luxe to get the first exclusive look. This indicates who she wants this brand to be associated with: the stylish woman in her mid-20s and older, who wants to splurge occasionally and prioritizes style and comfort.

The vibe is less is more – a capsule collection of luxury items that you can mix and match – unlike when she was creative director of fast fashion brand Pretty Little Thing between 2021 and 2023.

Molly describes her brand as “inspired by my own journey into womanhood and motherhood.”

This is reflected in the pieces: they are timeless, sleek and wearable, but with a luxurious edge.

The campaign was shot in what looks like a stately home; the whole atmosphere exudes wealth, but with clothes that are just about affordable for the masses.

And while the designs aren’t groundbreaking, they are smart and worth the investment for many.

Standout pieces in the collection include the oversized blazers and the seam-front jeans – these are sure to sell out. However, other pieces, such as knits and basic tops, can be found in stores such as H&M and Zara.

In the campaign images with Molly herself, she looks a bit down – and who can blame her after Tommy Fury’s shock split last month – but it’s clear she’s doing well.

This project will be a welcome distraction and she will once again be in control of the narrative, with this brand marking the beginning of the next chapter of her life. Molly-Mae 2.0 has arrived.

Now in her mid-20s and a mother (she was 19 when she entered the Love Island villa) she is clearly a career-driven young woman with big ambitions – and she will fit in very well in the fashion world.

She has already interacted with top models during Paris Fashion Week, after being invited to the L’Oréal show together with Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevigne.

And we all know another girl from Hertfordshire who went from pop culture icon to front row royalty. Who says Molly-Mae Haag can’t be the next Victoria Beckham? Everything is possible these days.”