She was the Duchess of Cambridge’s favourite dressmaker and designed the striking gown that led to Kate’s sister Pippa being dubbed ‘Her Royal Hotness’.
Alice Temperley’s glamorous midsummer parties in Somerset were the perfect opportunity for slender A-listers to show off her whimsical ‘boho’ gowns.
But there is no whimsy in an administrator’s report that reveals her company TL 2021 – trading as Temperley London – ran up £31million in unpaid debts before it went into administration this year.
It left a string of creditors – couriers, garment manufacturers, fabric wholesalers and the department store Selfridge’s.
Many are likely to get nothing, with administrators stating: ‘There will not be sufficient funds available to make a distribution to unsecured creditors.’
Temperley’s brand is still in operation after it set up a new company. It sells sequined dresses and velvet suits in its shops in Chelsea and Somerset, as well as on the Temperley London website.
Alice Temperley’s (left) glamorous midsummer parties in Somerset were the perfect opportunity for slender A-listers to show off her whimsical ‘boho’ gowns
Jay Patel runs ICC Global Hounslow’s courier business. Although this is legal it has made Jay Patel feel bad. He is owed more than £19,000 and is angry that he was asked to work for TL 2021 weeks before it went under. He said: ‘We were chasing them for money. Temperley was promising payments. We knew that it was in administration the very next morning.
‘I would have thought they would have had the financial figures and principal shareholders would say, “We settle the debts even if we are insolvent”.
‘We never got a penny from them for all the work we did. It is disgraceful.’
A new company, TMLL, was set up when Temperley’s original firm began insolvency proceedings. TMLL is the owner of Temperley London. Temperley Holdings is the umbrella company that owns both the insolvent company and the company which has paid off its massive debts.
The firm had been warned by external auditors that they were in serious financial trouble. Yet, from the outside its credentials appeared impeccable.
Temperley, 46 – described as the ‘English Ralph Lauren’ – set up her label in 2000 with ex-husband Lars von Bennigsen, with whom she has a 13-year-old son, Fox.
The business boomed, and her light-weight, lace-strewn designs attracted celebrities. She made wedding dresses for the model Jodie Kidd, actresses Alice Eve, Milla Jovovich and Emilia Fox and even Ed Miliband’s wife Justine.
She was made famous by Pippa Middleton and the Duchess Of Cambridge. Kate, newly engaged to Prince William, wore one her monochrome chiffon gowns for their first official engagement in 2010. Pippa wore an emerald-green silk dress for the evening reception at William and Kate’s wedding, leading her to be dubbed ‘Her Royal Hotness’.
Pippa wore an emerald-green silk dress for the evening reception at William and Kate’s wedding, leading her to be dubbed ‘Her Royal Hotness’
Temperley received an MBE in 2011 and was praised by the fashion bible Vogue when Sarah Jessica Parker wore the designer’s dresses on Sex And The City.
However, her empire continues to lose money and has relied on deep pockets from shareholders to stay afloat.
The insolvency laws are controversial. Professor Richard Murphy, of Sheffield University Management School, said: ‘We do not grant limited liability to allow people to run companies that become insolvent at a cost to their creditors and shareholders so that they can start again with complete immunity from liability for the losses incurred.’
Temperley chief executive Luca Donnini said: ‘Restructuring had to take place to take into account the financial impact on retail from the previous year. The company was able to maintain 70% of the jobs it had in TL2021, as well as its majority of suppliers.
‘Temperley looks forward to a better trading environment in 2022.’