Womenswear label reaches £10m turnover after Love Island exposure

A womenswear brand that began as a side project in a family home now records £10 million in yearly turnover. The company, called Murci, gained national attention after a contestant on the television show Love Island wore one of its outfits in 2021. The founder started the venture while working as a receptionist during the Covid pandemic.

She purchased wholesale garments and resold them online, using her grandmother's house in Manchester as the initial base of operations.

Growth milestones After the Love Island appearance, the brand sold several hundred units of the featured two-piece set in a single day. The founder left her receptionist position and began building a permanent team, which now numbers 35 employees. The company relocated from the family residence to a dedicated site in Manchester.

A brother of the founder established a U.S. distribution centre after a 10 percent global tariff rate took effect last year.

Market reach and context Murci currently conducts 30 percent of its sales in the United States. The founder stated that running the same advertisements used in the UK produces strong results in the American market. A business academic at Leeds University Business School noted that the UK maintains a "bustling side hustle culture," though replicating the scale achieved by a small number of earlier examples remains uncommon.

The founder advised that success depends on passion and assembling the right team.