Proposition:
Celebrity facemasks
Founder name(s):
Ray Duffy, Chris O'Nyan and Dean Walton
Year founded:
2008
Mask-arade
Mask-arade create masks of high-profile celebrities - and has had fantastic success with a wonderfully simple and fun concept. Founded in 2008, the company has seen astronomical growth. The founders proved it could work before launching the business full-time. They created 300 masks of footballer Kevin Phillips for a West Brom match, which sold out in an hour, making £600 off an outlay of £17.
2012 has been a bumper year for the business. The Diamond Jubilee resulted in 750,000 masks of members of the Royal Family being shipped in the weeks leading up to the big day. This followed last year, when the Royal Wedding resulted in the company selling 250,000 William and Kate masks.
Even the celebrities themselves love the business: Roger Walters of Pink Floyd commissioned 100,000 for two concerts he was playing, and the concerts are now being made into a film. The popularityof the masks has meant retailers are desperate to get involved, and you can now find Mask-arade on sale in Sainsbury's, WH Smith, Cards Galore, NEXT, River Island, Toys R Us and even Harrods.