Lucy Watson on business failure and life after Made in Chelsea

Lucy Watson is no stranger to the spotlight. She was one of the stars of the reality show Made in Chelsea and has since become a content creator, writing multiple vegan cookbooks. Now, she’s scaling a company solving a problem that is close to her heart and has a big vision for its future.

Watson launched Renue The Label in 2020. With a KPMG survey finding that 67 per cent of UK consumers actively seek out sustainable options when making purchasing decisions, the brand’s strapline of ‘sustainable underwear you’ll never want to take off’ hit the mark. Four years later, Renue kept true to its commitment to its eco-credentials, but the focus of the company evolved based on the journeys of Watson and her co-founder Olivia Grant.

Watson recalls how, when she was pregnant with her son Willoughby, she couldn’t find sustainable, comfortable, functional and aesthetic maternity wear. “It felt like a lot of what was out there was frumpy or made from synthetic materials,” she says, “which is the last thing you want on your body when you're pregnant.”

The brand relaunched in 2024 with the mission of ‘empowering women to feel their absolute best’, featuring a new range of sustainable underwear and maternity wear. A smart pivot of the company has been well received by customers in an industry estimated to be worth over £500m in the UK alone. While stats like sales and reach are important to the co-founders, feedback is one way they measure the company’s success.

“We read and celebrate every good review that we get,” says Watson. “We've even shed a tear over certain messages with women saying things like ‘I haven't felt myself since I gave birth but now that I'm wearing your underwear, I actually feel like me again.’ This is one of the reasons we're even doing this, because we have been in those positions. We've had kids, we've been through those body image struggles, and we can totally relate to these women.”

Watson believes that this is why the company will succeed. It solves a problem that she has personally experienced.

“There have been so many times I've had product ranges that I love,” she says, “and they're things that I really like, but they're not solving a problem for someone. We've got such a mission at Renue and with that we can tap into so many of our customers wants and needs. I feel like there are a lot of brands out there that maybe aimlessly create a product.”

Watson has curated her personal brand since she made her TV debut over a decade ago. Her Instagram boasts over 1.1 million followers and her selective attitude towards brand partnerships has conditioned her engaged audience to know that she only promotes brands she trusts. As a by-product of this, Renue’s marketing spend has been minimal, but Watson has taken her lumps in the business world.

“I've tried so many different businesses and they failed, even whilst being on Made in Chelsea,” she says, “It taught me that I can't have a successful business from just my audience alone. Of course, It's so disappointing, especially when you put your name to something, I treat every failure as a lesson and an opportunity to learn and to grow. I have learned so much from every single experience that I've had that I think it's helped me be a better businessperson.”

Her son was born in March 2024, but Watson has maintained a busy schedule. She does, she says, “thrive on chaos”, but that doesn’t make it easy.

“Having a child and project managing my home while also running a business, writing a book and working with brands every day is hectic. I thrive on chaos and I think that I've learned to accept that about myself,” she says.

“Having a structure within the team at Renue has helped. We have our Monday morning meeting where we sit down and assess what's happened over the last week and plan what's happening over the next week and in the next few months. We make sure to start the week on a high.”

Her approach has adapted over time, after realising that delegation doesn’t come naturally to her. “I fully hold my hands up to that one,” she says, “and I think I micromanaged a lot of people that I've worked with previously. However, I do delegate now and I'm lucky that I have a business partner who takes that on for me. But it all stems from having a team around you that you can trust, who you know are capable and who have initiative.”

So, what’s the long-term vision for Renue? The company is currently raising funding and aims to use the funds to grow its range and talent. “We want to be the leading sustainable underwear brand in the UK and, eventually, one of the big names globally,” says Watson. Watch this space.