Yardley spent $7.75M on Linda Evangelista — then went into receivership

Yardley London was founded in 1770 and had been a fixture of British fragrance and soap-making for over two centuries. Its English Lavender scent, launched in 1873, was a staple of the British bathroom cabinet. The brand held two Royal Warrants and was a symbol of British heritage, sold through chemists and department stores across the UK and exported internationally.

By the mid-1990s, Yardley's market position was eroding. The brand's heritage appeal was losing ground to younger, more fashion-driven competitors. To reverse the decline, the company signed supermodel Linda Evangelista in September 1996 for a reported fee of $7.75 million, betting a single celebrity face could pull the brand into the modern era.

The campaign did not work. The $7.75 million fee strained the balance sheet, and the advertising costs consumed resources that could have gone into product development or retail investment. The brand entered receivership in August 1998, just two years after the campaign. It was acquired by Wella later that year, ending two centuries of independent British ownership.