Missguided

Missguided was founded by Nitin Passi in 2009 as a Manchester-based online fast-fashion retailer targeting young women, growing rapidly on social media visibility and aggressive trend-responsiveness. The brand entered fragrance as a natural extension of its lifestyle positioning, producing scents aligned with seasonal fashion releases and the aesthetic preferences of its core demographic. Missguided fragrances are designed to feel current and accessible—bottle designs echo fashion packaging, and scent profiles reflect mainstream market trends rather than developing any house-specific olfactive identity. The brand underwent significant commercial difficulties and was acquired by Frasers Group, Mike Ashley's retail conglomerate, in 2022, continuing operations under new ownership. The fragrance line functions as category extension merchandise: its appeal derives entirely from brand recognition and price rather than compositional quality. Missguided represents a category of fashion-house fragrance where the label, not the scent, is the product—legitimate as a market category but distinct from fragrance houses where composition defines the offering.