Samantha Cameron says fashion brand would've been more successful if she wasn't David Cameron's wife

'There are some people who don’t shop with us because of who my husband is,' fashion designer says

Olivia Petter
Wednesday 06 November 2019 12:11 GMT
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Samantha Cameron has suggested that her fashion label, Cefinn, would be more successful if she wasn’t the wife of David Cameron.

Speaking at a women in business event, the designer was asked if her name came with “baggage”.

“There are some people who don’t shop with us because of who my husband is,” she replied.

“But I’m sure there are others who shop with us because they like me, or they like him.”

The 48-year-old went on to say that her name might’ve helped with publicity when she launched Cefinn in 2017.

“And probably raising money was a bit easier,” Cameron added.

Cefinn markets itself as primarily a luxury workwear brand, with dresses priced between £200 and £400.

Speaking at the event, which was hosted by The Telegraph, about her target audience, Cameron said: "We try in our business to cater for that woman who does have to look quite smart and classic, and then also the customer who wants to look a bit more feminine, a bit more creative, not quite so corporate."

Cameron's comments come after Cefinn was criticised for advertising for an unpaid internship.

On Cefinn's website, the company said it was looking for someone to carry out tasks such as market research, sample management and production assistance. No salary was stated for the position, which is understood to have been for a three month-long period.

Cefinn confirmed the role was unpaid in a now-deleted tweet in response to a prospective applicant, prompting careers site Graduate Fog to report the company to HMRC.

Tanya de Grunwald, Graduate Fog’s founder, said: “What is Samantha Cameron thinking? This advert clearly describes a skilled job involving real work – which means that Cefinn should offer a proper, legal wage."

Cefinn did not respond to The Independent's request for comment at the time.

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