How BooHoo’s ‘rags to riches’ clothing billionaires befriended the celebs who inspired their brand
Billionaire Mahmud Kamani, 52, turned a Manchester market stall into the fashion mega brand BooHoo
THE heirs of a "rags to riches" fashion empire have come so far that they now count the celebs who inspired their dad's brand among their friends.
Billionaire Mahmud Kamani, 52, is the man who turned a Manchester market stall into the fashion mega brand .
He made his fortune when he got his designers to pore over photos of the likes of super-stylish Gigi Hadid and the Kardashians and create copycat outfits for a fraction of the price.
The tiny team moved their products from factory to website at lightning-fast speed, and just 11 years later the business is worth £2.6billion - selling 50 dresses a minute.
And Mahmud's three sons, Umar, Adam and Samir, are reaping the rewards by rubbing shoulders with the same US glitterati that inspired their dad's designers more than a decade ago.
The trio are regulars at celebrity parties and red-carpet events, posing for photos with the likes of P-Diddy, Gigi Hadid, Jayden Smith and Kylie Jenner.
And now the new generation are planning the next stage of the Boohoo empire.
Umar, 29, is running - which he set up in 2012 with brother Adam - a sister fashion house which has just signed Kourtney Kardashian up as part of its drive to become a global brand.
Younger brother Samir, 21, has taken the reins at BoohooMan and Adam, 28, is behind the family's new property empire and his own investment company KM Capital.
A source close to the family said: "When Kamani senior started dreaming about the next stage of the family business he always dreamed his boys would be involved.
"He had the foresight to look at what was on trend, look at the likes of the Kardashians and Co.
"But he never imagined in his wildest dreams that his sons would be rubbing shoulders with them one day. He taught them his work ethic and none of them have completed university education.
"Instead they have been schooled into entrepreneurs and it seems to run in their DNA. They are all very cool guys - they actually wear their own products and would never been seen attending meetings in suits.
"The world is going to be seeing a lot more of them."
Boohoo began in 2006 when fashion wholesaler Mahmud spotted the potential of the internet and switched from selling on his Manchester market stall to selling online.
The company, which produces and sells its own-brand clothing exclusively online, is now worth a whopping £2.6 billion - more than high street giant Debenhams.
Boohoo uploads as many as 120 new pieces to their site every day and on average they sell 50 dresses per minute.
It has a workforce of more than 1,500, with teams in Manchester, Burnley, London, New York and Los Angeles and is endorsed by celebrities like Little Mix and the cast of TOWIE.
Last year alone the company made £283million.
And they're just getting started.
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