I’m a Molly-Mae fan but she’s let herself down – the pricing of Maebe is a joke
JUST when I thought Molly-Mae could never do anything to annoy me, unfortunately it happened.
Ever since Molly-Mae Hague, 25, walked into the Love Island villa back in 2019, I’ve always been a mega fan.
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I’ve watched her vlogs religiously and yes, I’m one of the 8.3 million who avidly follows her on Instagram.
After hearing the news that she was coming out with a fashion brand, of course I was excited.
And after Molly-Mae’s recent glow-down, whereby she essentially re-branded her appearance by ditching fillers and mini skirts for chic styling and expensive bouncy blow dries, of course I presumed that her Maebe brand wouldn’t come cheap.
But as much as I hate to admit it, I’m disappointed.
I want to be happy for Maebe, I really do. And of course, I want to stock up. But I can’t, because the pricing is a joke.
I understand that she’s launched Maebe as a more high class brand. I know it’s not going to be Shein quality.
But with prices varying from £35 to £140, I’m definitely not impressed.
Maebe’s “ultimate blazer” is priced at an eye-watering £140, whilst a very simple, plain white tee is a whopping £35.
Not only this, but a pair of jeans are £90, the “contour popper top” is £50, and a seemingly boring white shirt will set you back a whopping £65.
I know the Maebe items are meant to be good quality, staple pieces that will last you years.
But I’ve had blazers from Zara that I’ve worn over, and over, and over, again and many items in my wardrobe have been in there for more years than I can remember.
£35 from a plain white t-shirt seems shocking to me. I’d rather stock up and buy 10 of them from Primark, or buy a good quality one for £15.99 from Zara.
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And £50 for the popper top?! That’s the one that’s got me the most. Popper tops have been all over the high-street recently and I’ve even seen tops that look practically the same from Shein, for £42 cheaper.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, £90 for a pair of jeans? I understand paying £50 for a pair of good quality denims, but £90?! That’s incredibly steep considering you can get Levi’s, a well-established brand that’s been going for donkey years, for just a tenner more.
Not only this, but £140 for a blazer sent shivers down my spine. It’s not a secret that you can nab super stylish, staple blazers from H&M and New Look, for less than half the price.
‘Outrageous pricing’
And I’m not the only one who’s not convinced by the pricing either.
Yesterday morning, just minutes after the mum-of-one, who recently called it quits with Tommy Fury, the father of her child Bambi, announced the Maebe pricing, fans were sent into a total frenzy.
Many Molly-Mae fans slammed the “outrageous” prices and questioned why the range is “so expensive”.
“Why does Molly-Mae’s new range have to be so expensive?” one shopper moaned on X, previously Twitter.
“Molly-Mae charging an arm and a leg for basic clothes is outrageous,” another slammed.
What are the Maebe prices?
- Away Day Top – £55
- Away Day Trousers – £60
- All Tied Up Shirt – £65
- Contour Popper Top – £50
- Seam Denim Jeans – £90
- Dreamer Pointelle Tee – £35
- The Ultimate Blazer – £140
- Cosy Cropped Cardigan – £60
A number of social media users questioned whether Molly-Mae “knows her audience”.
“Maebe is way too expensive – £35 for a literal T-shirt,” one criticised.
“Does she realise that a lot of her followers are young girls, uni students or adults that have to pay mortgages?”
Another detractor penned on TikTok: “I’m really disappointed as I thought as her audience is mainly young girls, they would be reasonable.”
Not ‘accessible’ in a cost-of-living crisis
And I agree with the fuming fans. Of course I’m happy for her that Maebe sold out in 24 minutes and appears to be a hit with many, but for me, I’m not impressed.
After working for two years on the “passion project”, Molly-Mae, who is from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, claimed she poured her heart into creating “high-quality pieces” at an “accessible price point.”
But if you ask me, there’s nothing “accessible” about these prices.
Particularly when her fans are predominantly Gen Zs, those mostly teens and twenties, these prices are incredibly steep.
Fabulous’ Deputy Fashion Editor on Maebe
Abby McHale, the Deputy Fashion Editor at Fabulous, has shared her candid thoughts on Maebe…
“LOVE Island isn’t synonymous with grown-up sophisticated style but it will be no surprise to fans of Molly-Mae Hague that this is the theme of her first fashion range.
The 25-year-old influencer and mum to one-year-old Bambi has done everything possible to shed the villa image – swapping bikinis and lip fillers for comfy clothes and barely there makeup.
Recently, she’s even ditched her Love Island fiance, and father of her child, Tommy Fury – amid allegations of infidelity. So it was inevitable that her exclusive clothing collection, maebe, would be as far removed from glamorous bodycon party dresses as possible.
From that perspective, it certainly does not disappoint.
The range, which dropped last night (Sunday) at 7pm on Molly’s new website maebe.co.uk, was tipped to sell out almost straight away. It features tailored oversized blazers, sharp shirts and denim – all in Molly’s signature neutral palette.
A passion project, as she calls it, which has been two years in the making, Molly said she wanted to bring some luxury to her fans, without the price tag. She said she poured her heart into creating “high-quality pieces” at an “accessible price point.”
Accessible? I’m not so sure – the range varies from £35 to £140 so is pricier than the mainstream high street. But it is a price it seems her followers are willing to pay, even if it is a stretch for their budget.
One fan commented on the maebe Instagram saying: ‘I can already feel my bank account emptying’, with another echoing the same thought, saying, ‘I’m going to have no money left.’
A seasoned influencer, Molly knows how to lure her followers in – even before the brand launched yesterday the maebe account on Instagram had over 800k followers.
And at a sold out pop up event in London last week she gave some lucky fans a sneak peek of the collection, hyping fans in the run up to the event with come-ons like “maebe it’s just not worth missing.” Afterwards, she wrote to her 8.3 million followers, saying: “I don’t think I’ll ever get over today. Meeting so many of you and celebrating maebe Store has been one of the best days of my life! I can’t put into words how grateful I am for every single one of you who are on this journey with me.”
Molly, who is from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, knows that the key to her success is her fans – she has built up a loyal following and they are obsessed with her style so much that they want to be just like her.
So now she’s giving back to her ‘community’, allowing them to access clothes designed by her.
However, she’s also a shrewd businesswoman. Arguably the most successful contestant to come out of the villa to date, she’s already had six figure clothing deals and a successful beauty range.
She knows that for her fashion brand to be a true success she needs to attract a wider market.
That’s probably why she chose to partner with premium digital magazine Sheer Luxe to have the first exclusive look. This signals who she wants this brand to be associated with – the stylish woman in her mid twenties and upwards, who wants to splash the cash occasionally and prioritises 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 being “inspired by my own journey into womanhood and motherhood.”
That comes through in the pieces – they are timeless, sleek and wearable but with a luxe edge.
The campaign was shot in what looks to be a stately home – the whole vibe is giving wealth, but with clothes that are just about affordable to the masses.
And whilst the designs aren’t groundbreaking, they are smart and, for many, worth the investment.
Standout pieces in the collection include the oversized blazers and the seam front jeans – these are sure to be sellouts. However, other pieces, like the knits and basic tops for example, you can find similar in shops such as H&M and Zara.
In the campaign images featuring Molly herself she looks somewhat glum – and who can blame her after the shock split from Tommy Fury last month – but it’s clear that things are looking up for her.
This project will be a welcome distraction and she is once again in control of the narrative, with this brand marking the start of the next chapter of her life. Molly-Mae 2.0 has arrived.
Now in her mid twenties and a mother (she was 19 when entering the Love Island villa), she’s clearly a career driven young woman with big ambitions – and will slot in quite nicely with the fash pack.
She’s already been mingling with A-list models at Paris Fashion Week, having been invited to the L’Oreal show alongside Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevigne.
And we all know of another Hertfordshire girl who went from pop culture icon to front row royalty. Who’s to say Molly-Mae Hague can’t be the next Victoria Beckham? Anything is possible these days.”
And what’s even more disappointing is that the blonde beauty knows that the key to her success is her fans.
She’s arguably the most famous influencer in the UK and the most successful star to come from the ITV dating show, and she’s built up a loyal following with fans that follow her every move.
And unlike Molly-Mae, who’s estimated to be worth over £6 million, for most of us, we’re living in a cost-of-living crisis.
With the possibility of getting a mortgage seemingly impossible for many first-time buyers, the thought of splashing the cash on Maebe just isn’t an option.
Questions on materials used
Not only this, but whilst I was pleased to hear that the Maebe products are made in “positive” and “safe environments for workers”, there seems to be a lot of confusion with the materials used.
Whilst the Maebe website states that the clothes are made with “higher-quality fabrics”, it’s not clear what this actually means. Is it 100% cotton? 100% wool? Lord only knows.
For instance, the £60 cardigan – which comes in both grey and cream – is only described as having a ‘touch of wool’.
The product description reads: ‘The cropped cardigan is made from a dense compact knit with a touch of wool for a cosy (not scratchy), elevated feel.’
The webpage goes on to say that the item is made of a ‘mixed composition’, without detailing what the other materials are.
Meanwhile, the brand describe their £50 Contour Popper Top as being made of a ‘buttery soft stretch fabric’.
The description adds: ‘Using a buttery soft, heavyweight stretch knitted jersey to contour your body whilst also giving support and a smoothing effect.’
Inside Molly-Mae’s life
Take a look at the influencer, business owner and reality TV star’s journey to fame
And I’m not the only one that’s fuming about the lack of clarity here either. After browsing the collection online, one X user wrote: “Sus[picious] that Maebe isn’t disclosing their fabric composition or materials.”
Another added on TikTok: “There’s no proof it’s good quality given they don’t describe the material composition. It’ll probably be c****y polyester.”
Whilst a third wrote: “It’s not just that it’s the fact she hasn’t disclosed the materials or composition that have been used to make the fabric and thus people are buying it completely blind to what they are buying at such a large price tag.’”
So, will I be buying anything from Maebe? The only thing I can say to that is Maebe (definitely) not.
Yes, I’ll admit, the majority of the pieces are gorgeous. They’re timeless, chic and incredibly flattering, but is it really anything special?
Whilst I can appreciate they are nice pieces, which I’m sure are great quality, there’s one thing I’m certain of. I don’t fancy being bankrupt just to look as good as she does.
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