articles link to it . please introduce links to this page from related articles ; try the find link tool for suggestions . march 2014 bluebella industry lingerie founded 2005 founder emily bendell headquarters london england united kingdom key people emily bendell website http www.bluebella.com bluebella is a british lingerie company founded in 2005 by entrepreneur emily bendell . the business which also sells in the us australia france and italy has won a number of corporate awards . early investors included james averdieck founder of luxury chocolate pudding brand g as well as the investor network incito ventures and the south east seed fund . bluebella was the first company to get funds from the london based female investor club addidi business angels . 1 the business has experienced rapid growth recording a 100 % increase every 12 months between 2007 and 2010 . 2 contents 1 history 2 fifty shades of grey 3 ann widdecombe controversy 4 business recognition 5 references history edit as a politics philosophy and economics student at oxford university bendell took a summer job at a high street lingerie store . she has said that the idea for bluebella began to form as a result of that experience . she also cites the huge popularity of the tv series sex & the city as a key inspiration . after graduating however she started a career in journalism . in 2004 she left her job as the editor of a legal and business journal and began working on the bluebella concept . in a radio interview bendell explained the philosophy behind bluebella saying i thought women had evolved beyond the seaside postcard idea of sexiness . my concept was to take high end sensual products that you might normally buy from posh boutiques in london and make them more accessible . 3 bendell road tested her idea for six months doing parties for friends and family members . she told jazz fm s elliot moss it was just me in my bedroom initially . i d go out and do the orders then i d do all the packing and if someone called i d answer the phones too . 4 by 2008 bluebella had 100 agents operating across the uk from aberdeen to southampton . 5 online retailer lovehoney invested a six figure sum in 2010 . 6 unreliable source other online retailers including asos and figleaves also began stocking bluebella s lingerie range . 7 in february 2014 the luxury department store selfridges announced that it too was selling bluebella lingerie . 8 fifty shades of grey edit in 2013 bluebella won the official licence for uk and ireland to produce a fifty shades of grey themed lingerie range based around the series of el james novels after bendell personally pitched the company s range to the author . she has said fifty shades has created or perhaps reflected a fundamental shift in women s attitudes to sex and sensuality . several items were sold over christmas 2013 . the full range is due to be launched in 2014 . 9 ann widdecombe controversy edit in march 2011 bluebella won the small business of the year award at the east midlands women of worth awards . however at the prize ceremony which was held at the east midlands conference centre during the annual women in business conference former tory mp ann widdecombe refused to give the award to bendell after watching a short film about the company . widdecombe also a former strictly come dancing contestant instead handed the award to another judge penny mallory to present . it was clear that she didn t know the nature of the business before she saw the film bendell told the daily mail . 10 business recognition edit bendell has been invited to receptions at both buckingham palace and no10 downing street as a result of her high profile as a young entrepreneur . in 2012 she became one of a dozen ambassadors for the government s newly formed start up loans company which provided mentor supported loans to young people looking to start their own businesses . 11 the scheme which also involved dragon s den star james caan was promoted by bendell alongside other young entrepreneurs such as james eder the beans group and romy lewis lola s kitchen . 12 references edit angels go where banks fear to tread . the times . 14 july 2012 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . big guns give more bang to start ups . the times . 31 october 2010 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . emily bendell on jazz shapers . jazz fm . 1 november 2012 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . emily bendell on jazz shapers . jazz fm . 1 november 2012 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . bluebella takes lingerie to paris . nottingham post . 1 october 2008 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . bluebella attracts investment from uk market leader . midlands business news . 25 may 2010 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . bluebella to launch erotic garments at selfridges . lingerieinsight . 7 february 2014 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . selfridges adds erotic brand bluebella to its lingerie portfolio . fashion bust . 7 february 2014 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . official fifty shades of grey lingerie line launched . daily mail . 29 july 2013 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . ann widdecombe snubs lingerie business owner . daily mail . 18 march 2011 . retrieved 18 march 2014 . 80 million start up loans for new businesses . hm government . retrieved 18 july 2012 . sharkey linda 19 july 2013 . government s scheme reveals ambassadors to inspire young entrepreneurs . the independent . retrieved 2 march 2015 . retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title bluebella & oldid 713552474 categories british brandsfair trade brandsretail companies of the united kingdomcompanies based in londoncosmetics companies of the united kingdomretail companies established in 20052005 establishments in the united kingdomhidden categories orphaned articles from march 2014all orphaned articlesuse dmy dates from december 2011all articles lacking reliable referencesarticles lacking reliable references from march 2016 navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk 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