Timeless London, a small British clothing brand, is struggling to cope with customer complaints and competition from Timeless Fashion London, a Chinese retailer selling poor-quality copies of their products.
A small British clothing brand is currently facing a significant crisis due to the emergence of a near-identical Chinese competitor. Timeless London, owned by Mehak Vig, has been overwhelmed with customer complaints regarding poor-quality clothes purchased from Timeless Fashion London, a Chinese-based retailer. The issues began in November and have intensified, leaving the original brand to manage frustrated customers, negative reviews, and a backlog of returns.
Mehak Vig’s father founded the clothing line four years ago under the name Sheen, selling sustainable dresses inspired by the fashion of the 1940s and 1950s, primarily in the European and US markets. The recent troubles are exacerbated by the fact that the family-run business underwent an expensive rebranding—costing £18,000—to differentiate itself from the fast-fashion giant Shein, after facing similar complications with brand confusion.
Mehak expressed her frustrations about the current situation, stating, “I am getting 20 calls a day from angry customers, as well as emails and return packages to our warehouse, which are all now piling up, as people are saying they don’t want them back.” Many of the complaints come from older shoppers who purchased items through social media advertisements and received entirely different products than what was shown online.
According to Mehak, the low-cost alternative, Timeless Fashion London, uses 100 percent polyester in their garments and does not resemble the images advertised on their website. She added, “They’re frustrated, and we’re stuck dealing with returns and complaints. Some customers even said we should give the items to charity because they don’t want them back.” The inability of her business to compete is further worsened by the fact that the foreign competitor does not pay VAT, allowing them to offer significantly lower prices.
Despite investing heavily in her brand over the past two years to establish a direct-to-consumer model, Mehak describes the situation as a “disaster,” lamenting that another rebrand would cost around £500,000. The original brand, once boasting a solid 4.5-star rating, has seen its reputation tarnished on platforms like Trustpilot, with ratings dipping to as low as 3.9 due to confused customers leaving negative reviews meant for the competitor.
Efforts to contact Timeless Fashion London have yielded only automated responses, adding to the frustration faced by customers and the Timeless London team. Mehak reflected on the overwhelming challenges posed by cheaper competitors, stating, “I don’t know how we’re supposed to compete with them. They have no overheads like we do, and their prices are so much lower. But when customers get their products, they’re completely different from what they expected.”
Mehak’s deep concern extends to the viability of her business. She emphasized, “We’re paying VAT, we’re investing in quality, and yet we’re struggling to survive against these rip-off shops.” Without stronger regulations and legal protections, small businesses like hers find themselves in a precarious situation. “This is the worst-case scenario for any small business owner. We just need support because it feels like no one is protecting us.”
As the retail environment in the UK continues to evolve, challenges faced by Timeless London reflect broader issues impacting small businesses struggling to maintain their footing against aggressive competition in the fast-fashion industry.
Source: Noah Wire Services
