ASA bans Marble Muse ads over UK-based misrepresentation

London — The Advertising Standards Authority has banned adverts for Marble Muse after concluding the company misled consumers by portraying itself as a British brand based in London, while its operations were linked to a warehouse in Asia. The regulator said the campaign used visual cues commonly associated with the UK, including cobbled-street scenes and a Union flag, to create the impression that Marble Muse was UK-based.

On its website, Marble Muse described itself as a 'British Brand' and advertised 'Free UK Shipping', using imagery of a handbag set against a city street and a model crossing a cobbled London-style street. The site also included a 'Contact Us' page listing a London address and a page titled 'Our Beginnings' that depicted founders James and Eleanor. Further down the site, a policy stated that returns should be sent to Marble Muse's central warehouse in Asia, at the customer’s expense, a detail the ASA said undercut any claim of a London base.

The BBC had complained to the ASA, arguing that the site’s design and language implied a UK base and that the company’s true origin in China had not been adequately disclosed, in breach of advertising rules requiring transparent disclosure of the advertiser’s identity and geographical location. Marble Muse did not respond to the ASA’s inquiries.

In its ruling, the ASA said consumers were likely to understand from those elements that Marble Muse was UK-based, specifically London, when the regulator determined that was not the case. While the ad did include a geographical address on the website, the ASA noted that the address appeared residential—situated within a housing estate—and offered no clear indication that it was a place of business. The commission also highlighted that returns were to be sent to an Asian warehouse, reinforcing the impression that the advertiser did not operate from a UK premises.

The ASA ruled that the ads must not appear again and told Marble Muse to ensure advertising does not misleadingly state or imply UK-only bases and, when quoting prices, to include the geographical address from which the business operates. The decision underscores the regulator’s ongoing focus on online fashion marketing that relies on national symbols and locale cues to imply authenticity. Marble Muse’s refusal or failure to respond to the ASA’s inquiries has left the agency with a formal ruling that its UK-origin claims were unsupported, prompting a broader call for clearer disclosure in digital campaigns.