I went from living in a council estate to running £25m brand – but then my business partners sued me, says Tommy Mallet

TOMMY Mallet has ever been arrogant of his humble beginnings. 

The 32-year-old grew up connected a assembly property successful North London and near schoolhouse with nary GCSEs - but that didn’t forestall him from scaling a manner marque from zero to £25 million.

Tommy’s moving people upbringing is what really inspired him to make his footwear brand, Mallet London, arsenic helium was bullied astatine schoolhouse for the apparel helium wore.

The entrepreneur said that helium was humiliated erstwhile helium was 12-years-old due to the fact that his household couldn't spend to bargain him fashionable trainers.

Over a decennary later, his multi-million lb concern Mallet London was born. 

But now, helium has opened up astir being sued by the eponymous marque helium spent 8 years gathering up.

Tommy changeable to fame aft joining the formed of TOWIE successful 2014 but rapidly realised that world TV wasn’t his calling. 

It was present that helium met chap formed mate Georgia Kousoulou, 31, whom helium tied the knot with successful January this twelvemonth and shares lad Brody, three, with. 

In 2015 and astatine the tallness of his telly career, helium co-founded Mallet London.

“At the start, I didn’t cognize wherever it was going to go,” helium says. 

“I had nary acquisition successful business.”

Tommy utilized to walk his downtime connected the acceptable of TOWIE sketching trainers designs, helium shared connected Abbey Clancy’s podcast, Exhibit A.

He yet got the shot rolling aft gathering a Turkish businessman connected a nighttime retired and asking to beryllium enactment successful interaction with his shoe-making contacts. 

By 2020, Mallet London had clocked up 11.8 cardinal income acknowledgment to that accidental encounter. 

Around this time, the shoes were stocked successful implicit 150 stores, specified arsenic posh Selfridges, and were selling for implicit £150 a pop. 

Former carpenter Tommy’s entrepreneurial vocation had skyrocketed.

The occurrence adjacent saw him onshore a spot connected Forbes' 30 nether 30 database for Europe successful the retail and ecommerce class successful 2021.

“When I look back, I don’t adjacent cognize however I did it,” helium says. 

“It was a whirlwind.”

Tommy hasn’t ever been arsenic motivated arsenic helium is now. 

He recalls “a struggle” from his precocious teens erstwhile helium was unemployed, “in the incorrect crowd” and feeling lost. 

Fast guardant to today, helium says helium is simply a “different beast”. 

“If I tin absorption connected conscionable me, I tin spell to places unimaginable,” helium says. 

Tommy near Mallet London successful October 2023 aft 8 years arsenic co-founding director.

At the time, helium said it was due to the fact that helium had achieved each that helium “set retired to execute with this brand” and that helium felt “it’s important to turn successful beingness and not enactment still”.

But Tommy aboriginal revealed that helium had stepped distant from Mallet aft a “toxic relationship" had formed up of the motorboat of his caller footwear company, CTRNE.

CTRNE is the world's archetypal trainer marque with Citrine crystals embedded successful the soles, which the marque hopes customers volition usage arsenic manifestation tools to execute their goals. 

Tommy recalled losing his “human feelings” towards the extremity of his all-consuming Mallet London career, which was the catalyst successful his determination to locomotion away. 

He was tragically struck by world erstwhile his woman Georgia Kousoulou suffered a miscarriage successful April 2023.

“You suffer each types of that quality feel,” helium says. 

“You conscionable consciousness similar a machine. 

“You conscionable consciousness similar it’s each astir getting that place. 

“I did it truthful accelerated and had nary beingness experience, but I thought I did.” 

The miscarriage made him realise he’d “neglected truthful much” of his idiosyncratic life.

It was the catalyst successful him stepping down from Mallet London to beryllium much contiguous with his family.  

However, what followed the selfless enactment was a messy ineligible battle, defined by threatening letters, a tribunal lawsuit and an injunction.

In May this year, Tommy broke his soundlessness connected the bitter feud.

He claimed that bosses astatine his eponymous marque were trying to marque him motion an undertaking that prevented him from “speaking oregon releasing a marque until the extremity of this year”.

On Exhibit A, helium revealed that helium was past slapped with an injunction which is acceptable to expire connected October 31 - little than 2 weeks away. 

“My full satellite is conscionable looking astatine this date,” helium tells. “And I tin consciousness it wrong of me.

“No substance what you accidental to me, nary substance what’s going connected astir me, I cannot get retired of my caput what’s astir to happen.”

CTRNE already has a whopping 222,000 followers connected Instagram, with each the shoes connected the tract acceptable to purchase. 

The Orgonite Manifest Sneaker successful White Leather volition acceptable customers backmost £195, portion the Geode Manifest Sneakers are somewhat cheaper astatine £175.