Karen Millen and the breastfeeding backlash: how to cause a PR crisis in one interview
Karen Millen’s recent appearance on Channel 5’s Vanessa is a textbook example of how a media interview can backfire spectacularly.
Live on air, she described women who breastfeed babies over six months old as “selfish” and questioned the benefits, despite clear guidance from the World Health Organisation supporting extended breastfeeding.
It was a baffling move from someone whose name remains closely associated with women’s fashion, even if she is no longer involved in the business bearing her name. The brand was sold to the Boohoo Group (now the Debenhams Group), after a period of administration in 2020. Yet to the public, the name and the individual are still intertwined. The setting only made matters worse: a daytime TV programme with a largely female audience, many of whom are mothers or grandmothers. These are not peripheral viewers; they are exactly the sort of people who have, at some point, worn her designs.
In the UK, more than 1 in 4 (27%) of mothers breastfeed beyond six months. In previous years, that number has been even higher. Millen’s comments did not just alienate women currently breastfeeding, they insulted generations of women who have done the same.
The clash between public profile and message could not have been starker. Karen Millen the brand has long been associated with aspiration and style. Karen Millen the person came across as judgemental and out of touch.
Although she no longer owns the brand, she was invited back in 2023 to collaborate on a one-off ‘Founder’ capsule collection. It was a nod to her legacy and design credentials. After this interview, it is difficult to imagine the business extending another such invitation. Public perception matters. For brands operating in crowded, competitive spaces, reputational risk is something few can afford.
When your name is your brand, even symbolically, there is no separation. What you say on air reflects directly on your legacy, your credibility and any future associations. If your comments risk offending the very people who built your success, it is not just a bad interview. It is a commercial mistake.
No wonder this made it onto our blog series covering the the Worst Media Interviews of All Time!
