Amy Child’s & Her Quest For Fashion Success

I never thought I would say this but this is genuinely the first time (at least so far) that I have fallen in love with a ‘reality TV’ brand, whose none other than infamous Essex personality ‘Amy Childs’. Cue the groans ‘she is a talentless nobody’ or she’s only famous because of Towie which is not only harsh but its also untrue. At 26 years old Amy Child’s has been named Towie’s richest earner with 1.5 million turnover a year, which has been accumulated from reality TV appearances, perfume and book launches alongside her successful Brentwood boutique which sells high quality women’s clothing. While some of us may turn up our nose at ‘reality branded’ clothing, Amy’s clothing boutique has a staunch reputation as selling ‘high quality clothing’ at mid range prices that targets the woman who likes to dress with a ‘simple finesse’. In other words the clothing is not ‘tacky’ nor is it as extravagant and OTT as you might think. Despite Amy’s reputation for ‘resplendence’ the dresses I was sent were glamorous, chic and sophisticated, hardly the image of ‘Towie glamour’ that many of us turn our noses up at. But you should never judge a book by its cover; at the age of 26 Amy is a self-made millionaire who is described as a model, entrepreneur and reality star, with a passion and talent for curating clothing for the ‘modern glamazon’. Having been inspired by the self-initiated success of Jordan Aka Katie Price, Amy sought to be a self-stylized ‘Jack of all Trades’, who despite finding fame through reality TV, became more prolific after she left to work on her business. Amy’s dedication to her trade and ability to juggle multiple occupations is mind boggling but I admire her work ethic and can see my own strengths mirrored in Amy’s collection.

So how did my love affair with ‘branded fashion begin? Well, growing up in the noughties meant that we were the label loving, logo hogging generation. We spritzed Lacoste with abandon and wore our La Sports T-shirts with pride. We clutched our Playboy Bunny notebooks close to our chest and we thought we were ‘swanky’ when we owned a ‘Paul’s Boutique’ bag. Naturally therefore it should come as no surprise that I went through a phase of buying branded goods because it was considered ‘cool’. Our label obsession ran deep and looking back I realize that most of the time the clothing was ‘tat’ and made from poor quality fabrics, so I was a little nervous approaching Amy Child’s collection. As someone who is infamous for introducing ‘vajuzzle’ into our blessed lives I was a little worried that the gorgeous designs I had picked out on my screen would come out, arriving like dracula’s sister-garish and loud but I needn’t have worried. For the most part all (4!) dresses were a good fit and apart from one which swamped my petite frame the other three accentuated my slim waist and long giraffe legs ( which is a curse and a blessing in disguise ). My legs are great for two things ; for knocking people out when they need to be silenced and for giving me the illusion of looking tall despite only being 5ft 4 1/2 in person. So you see the dresses were all the right length for my petite frame and each brought a new trend to the table that I had yet to explore prior to my collaboration with Amy Child’s.

With my fear of looking like a ‘Towie Reject’ quickly dismissed, I found four beautiful dresses sitting in shiny parcels like presents on Christmas Day and it was magical. There was a frothy pink a-line confection aptly named Joselyn, whose 3D applique detail lent a luxe feel to the dress, despite its £38 price tag, whereas Katie was demure and understated, a casual blue and cream lace dress best worn with a sprinkle of much needed sass. The breathtaking Textured Lace Skater was fit for any Royal Princess while Marie was a high necked warrior with a penchant for florals. All four dresses blew me away with their simple elegance and I was proud that Amy had moved away from the ‘reality star image’ and instead re-instated her credentials as a fashion designer and business woman. It was a complete image overhaul and just by having the ‘Amy Child’s experience’ I looked at her and her business ventures in a new light. We spend so much time judging what people should and shouldn’t do and to many Amy’s business would be branded tacky. But why? A reality star is often seen as ‘uncultured’ and ‘lacking the intelligence befitting a branded strategy’ yet quite honestly this is a load of bull. I see a woman who has used her talents as a designer to create clothing for real women and that is the operative word ‘real’. Many ‘celebrity’ designers slap their name on products simply because it generates profit but what many people forget is that Amy Child’s is a designer first and foremost. To Amy being a celebrity has nothing to do with her credentials as a designer and rightly so! 

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