MAL-PRACTICE
I went from living in a council estate to running £25m brand – but then my business partners sued me, says Tommy Mallet
Tommy remembers “a struggle” in his late teens when he was unemployed, “in the wrong crowd” and feeling lost
TOMMY Mallet has always been proud of his humble beginnings.
The 32-year-old grew up on a council estate in North London and left school with no GCSEs - but that didn’t prevent him from scaling a fashion brand from zero to £25 million.
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Tommy’s working class upbringing is what actually inspired him to create his footwear brand, Mallet London, as he was bullied at school for the clothes he wore.
The entrepreneur said that he was humiliated when he was 12-years-old because his family couldn't afford to buy him fashionable trainers.
Over a decade later, his multi-million pound business Mallet London was born.
But now, he has opened up about being sued by the eponymous brand he spent eight years building up.
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Tommy shot to fame after joining the cast of TOWIE in 2014 but quickly realised that reality TV wasn’t his calling.
It was here that he met fellow cast mate Georgia Kousoulou, 31, whom he tied the knot with in January this year and shares son Brody, three, with.
In 2015 and at the height of his telly career, he co-founded Mallet London.
“At the start, I didn’t know where it was going to go,” he says.
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“I had no experience in business.”
Tommy used to spend his downtime on the set of TOWIE sketching trainers designs, he shared on Abbey Clancy’s podcast, Exhibit A.
Tommy Mallet breaks his silence on bitter feud with former business partner after 'selling all his assets'
He finally got the ball rolling after meeting a Turkish businessman on a night out and asking to be put in contact with his shoe-making contacts.
By 2020, Mallet London had clocked up 11.8 million sales thanks to that chance encounter.
Around this time, the shoes were stocked in over 150 stores, such as posh Selfridges, and were selling for over £150 a pop.
Former carpenter Tommy’s entrepreneurial career had skyrocketed.
Tommy Mallet's Business Journey
Tommy grew his brand and made his fortune from humble beginning that saw him grow up on a council estate in London
While Tommy might be living a life of luxury now; treating himself to a customised Ferrari and flying around the world - it wasn't always like that for the dad-of-one.
He grew up on a council estate in North London and left school with no GCSEs.
His upbringing is what actually inspired him to create his footwear brand, as he was bullied at school for the clothes he wore.
The businessman said that he was humiliated when he was just 12 because his family couldn't afford to buy him fashionable trainers.
He trained as a carpenter after school before joining the cast of Towie - which is where he met his fiancée Georgia.
Speaking about his childhood, he told : "I feel like at one point in my life I definitely could have had the potential to go down the wrong path but ultimately, I knew that I wanted to do things the right way and to succeed.
"So staying on the right track was important to me."
His shoe brand is favored by the likes of Drake, Olly Murs, Craig David, and Will.i.am.
He launched Mallet in 2015 and by 2020 the business had clocked up 11.8million sales.
His shoes and apparel is stocked in over 150 stores around the world, and that's only going to increase.
Tommy, who made the Forbes 30 under 30 list, says he prefers to be known for his work rather than his time on Reality TV.
The success even saw him land a spot on Forbes' 30 under 30 list for Europe in the retail and ecommerce category in 2021.
“When I look back, I don’t even know how I did it,” he says.
“It was a whirlwind.”
Tommy hasn’t always been as motivated as he is now.
If I can focus on just me, I can go to places unimaginable
Tommy Mallet
He recalls “a struggle” from his late teens when he was unemployed, “in the wrong crowd” and feeling lost.
Fast forward to today, he says he is a “different beast”.
“If I can focus on just me, I can go to places unimaginable,” he says.
Tommy left Mallet London in October 2023 after eight years as co-founding director.
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At the time, he said it was because he had achieved all that he “set out to accomplish with this brand” and that he felt “it’s important to grow in life and not stay still”.
But Tommy later revealed that he had stepped away from Mallet after a “toxic relationship" had formed ahead of the launch of his new shoe company, CTRNE.
CTRNE is the world's first trainer brand with Citrine crystals embedded in the soles, which the brand hopes customers will use as manifestation tools to achieve their goals.
Tommy recalled losing his “human feelings” towards the end of his all-consuming Mallet London career, which was the catalyst in his decision to walk away.
You lose all types of that human feel. You just feel like a machine
Tommy Mallet
He was tragically struck by reality when his wife Georgia Kousoulou suffered a miscarriage in April 2023.
“You lose all types of that human feel,” he says.
“You just feel like a machine.
“You just feel like it’s all about getting that place.
“I did it so fast and had no life experience, but I thought I did.”
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The miscarriage made him realise he’d “neglected so much” of his personal life.
It was the catalyst in him stepping down from Mallet London to be more present with his family.
However, what followed the selfless act was a messy legal battle, defined by threatening letters, a court case and an injunction.
In May this year, Tommy broke his silence on the bitter feud.
No matter what you say to me, no matter what’s going on around me, I cannot get out of my head what’s about to happen
Tommy Mallet
He claimed that bosses at his eponymous brand were trying to make him sign an undertaking that prevented him from “speaking or releasing a brand until the end of this year”.
On Exhibit A, he revealed that he was then slapped with an injunction which is set to expire on October 31 - less than two weeks away.
“My whole world is just looking at this date,” he tells. “And I can feel it inside of me.
“No matter what you say to me, no matter what’s going on around me, I cannot get out of my head what’s about to happen.”
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CTRNE already has a whopping 222,000 followers on Instagram, with all the shoes on the site ready to purchase.
The Orgonite Manifest Sneaker in White Leather will set customers back £195, while the Geode Manifest Sneakers are slightly cheaper at £175.
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