Michelle Mone's Ultimo 10th anniversary

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of lingerie label Ultimo, former Spice girl Melanie Brown popped out of a cake dressed in a sparkly corset. The celebrations took place at department store Debenhams on Oxford Street, with whom the

lingerie label inked a deal to open concession stores in 142 Debenhams last year.

Entrepreneur and panellist on The Apprentice: You’re Fired!, Michelle Mone set up the company a decade ago after being in between jobs. She spend a year inventing a comfortable cleavage bra after which she launched Ultimo. Mone approached several film companies in Hollywood, and managed to get Julia Roberts to wear the bra in Erin Brockovich. Following the film feature, Ultimo made it into Selfridges, Debenhams, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Besides signing Mel B, Ultimo signed Penny Lancaster in 2002, Rod Stewart’s then girlfriend to front the label. A year later, Rod Stewart’s ex-wife Rachel Hunter took over, which caused quite a stir, followed by Helena Christensen, Jade Jagger and Rod Stewart’s daughter Kimberly. Ultimo lingerie features eight brands, and employs nearly 1500 staff in Glasgow, Hong Kong and China. This year will see the launch of Diamond Boutique bra label in 400 Tesco’s. The company’s stake purchase is valued on between £50m and £55m.

Image: Kimberly Stewart for Ultimo