Missguided

It depends on what you want from it. Missguided is a UK-based fast-fashion retailer built on rapid, trend-driven clothing for women, so it shines for of-the-moment looks at low prices rather than long-haul wardrobe staples. Some pieces hold up fine, others have shorter lifespans, so buy it for a season's trend with eyes open rather than as an investment.

They are close rivals in the same ultra-fast-fashion lane, so it comes down to priorities. Shoppers often rate Missguided well on quality within the group, while Boohoo is known for the deepest discounts and PrettyLittleThing for sheer variety. If you want trend-led pieces and lean slightly toward make over rock-bottom price, Missguided is a reasonable pick among the three.

Missguided was established in 2009 by Nitin Passi. The online retailer grew rapidly in the UK and expanded into the US, Australia, France and Germany, aimed squarely at women roughly aged 16 to 35. It was one of the defining names of the 2010s online fast-fashion boom.

It was a Greater Manchester brand. Missguided's headquarters were in Stretford until 2015, when it moved to Trafford Park. That northern English base put it at the heart of the UK's online fast-fashion cluster during its rise.

It collapsed and was rescued in pieces. In May 2022 Missguided went into administration after being unable to pay its debts, and the next day Frasers Group bought the intellectual property of Missguided and its menswear sister brand Mennace for around £20 million. The brand relaunched in 2023, so it survives, but under very different ownership than at its peak.

The brand rights now sit with Shein. After Frasers Group acquired Missguided's intellectual property in 2022, it sold the branding rights and intellectual property to the online marketplace Shein in October 2023, while retaining the staff and real estate. So the Missguided name you shop today is operated within Shein's orbit.

Trend-led womenswear across a broad range. Over the years it widened from core clothing into plus-size, tall and petite lines, plus lingerie, nightwear, denim and a premium collection called Peace & Love. It even launched a 19-piece wedding range in 2016, so the catalogue stretched well beyond everyday going-out pieces.

Yes. In September 2017 Missguided announced the launch of its menswear label Mennace. Mennace became closely tied to the Missguided business and was bought alongside it by Frasers Group in 2022, so the two brands have shared much of the same history.

Plenty, and they were central to its marketing. Missguided collaborated with Nicole Scherzinger on a 40-piece collection for its fifth birthday in 2014, fronted an SS16 campaign with Pamela Anderson, and ran lines and campaigns with names including Jourdan Dunn, Amber Rose and Sofia Richie. These celebrity tie-ins were a defining part of the brand's identity.

Treat it as trend shopping, not staple shopping. Lean toward natural-fibre pieces like cotton tops over flimsier synthetics if you want a garment to last, and check the size and review notes since fit varies across a fast-changing catalogue. Buy what genuinely fits the season you are dressing for and you will get the most from the low prices.