Two of Australia’s most controversial influencers have reportedly cut business ties following a string of public relations gaffes.
Mummy blogger Sophie Cachia and haircare entrepreneur Mia Plecic announced last year they were launching a ‘gender-neutral’ cosmetics brand together called Aisuru.
Cachia, a former footy WAG who famously left her husband and became engaged to a woman in 2020, previously found success with her eponymous pajamas brand and multimedia company Shaw Media.
Controversial influencers Sophie Cachia (left) and Mia Plecic (right) have reportedly cut business ties after a series of PR disasters
Mia is known for her multimillion-dollar hair products company, Slick Hair Co.
But this week, Cachia announced that Aisuru was now ‘a one-woman show’, apparently confirming Plecic had left the business.
Outspoken the Podcast, which documents the misadventures of social media stars, speculated this week that the pair’s friendship had also broken down.
Cachia (pictured) and Plecic announced last year they were launching a ‘gender-neutral’ cosmetics brand together called Aisuru
Tellingly, Plecic has removed all references to Aisuru from her social media bio and also unfollowed the brand on Instagram.
The former business partners have also unfollowed each other’s personal accounts.
Plecic has since released a statement to Daily Mail Australia that seemingly contradicts Cachia’s claim about Aisuru being a ‘one-woman show’.
But this week, Cachia announced on Instagram that Aisuru was now ‘a one-woman show’, apparently confirming Plecic had left the business
‘I am still a Director of AISURU and an equal shareholder to Sophie. I just took a step back as Slick Hair Company is going through huge international growth and I need to focus on the brand that is growing,’ Plecic said.
Aisuru has been plagued by controversy since its launch earlier this year.
In February, Cachia was called out for practicing poor hygiene while conducting a ‘quality control’ exercise on her new lipstick line.
In February, Cachia was called out for practicing poor hygiene while conducting a ‘quality control’ exercise on her new lipstick line. She filmed herself rubbing her nose while checking individual lipsticks from her de ella Aisuru range that were due to be sent out to customers (pictured)
Aisuru issued a statement (above) acknowledging this was ‘not best practice nor aligned with our policies’
Cachia had filmed herself rubbing her nose with her bare hand while checking individual lipsticks from her Aisuru range that were due to be sent out to customers.
Aisuru subsequently issued a statement acknowledging this was ‘not best practice nor aligned with our policies’.
The hosts of Outspoken, sisters Amy, Sophie and Kate Taeuber, also speculated this week that Plecic’s controversial views on Covid-19 and vaccine mandates possibly drove a wedge between the business partners.
In June, Plecic sparked outrage by comparing Australia’s vaccine mandates to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court
Reacting to the landmark decision, Plecic wrote on Instagram: ‘Why is it okay to be pro-choice about one human right but not the other?’
In June, Plecic sparked outrage by comparing Australia’s vaccine mandates to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court.
The court’s ruling ends the constitutional right to abortion across America, meaning individual states can now decide whether abortion should be legal.
Reacting to the landmark decision, Plecic wrote on Instagram: ‘Why is it okay to be pro-choice about one human right but not the other?’
Many people who oppose Covid vaccine mandates call themselves ‘pro-choice’, borrowing the popular slogan used for decades by advocates for legal abortion.
Many people who oppose Covid vaccine mandates call themselves ‘pro-choice’, borrowing the popular slogan used for decades by advocates for legal abortion
However, the use of the term in the context of vaccines is highly controversial, with women’s rights activists saying the two issues cannot be compared.
‘The same people who are against freedom of choice with mandates are the same people who are screaming freedom of choice about abortions,’ added Plecic in her post.
The entrepreneur, who made headlines last year for sharing anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine views on social media, continued: ‘It doesn’t work like that. Freedom of choice regardless of your narrative.’
Plecic soon received backlash online, with major online retailer Showpo reportedly vowing to remove Slick Hair Co. products from its store, according to this alleged Instagram exchange between a customer and a Showpo representative
Her ‘pro-choice’ post was soon picked up by Instagram watchdog account Aussie Influencer Opinions, which warned customers of Plecic’s haircare company they were supporting these views by buying her products.
Plecic soon received a wave of backlash online, with major online retailer Showpo reportedly vowing to remove Slick Hair Co. products from its store.
Aussie Influencer Opinions posted a screenshot purportedly showing an anonymous user messaging Showpo’s official Instagram account asking why the company stocked a product ‘with such a problematic company owner such as Mia Plecic’.
A Showpo customer service representative replied: ‘As a brand we will not be renewing our partnership with Slick Hair Company to stock their products on our website and we’re effectively exiting out of this brand.’
Reacting to Ms Plecic’s Instagram post, one fan exposed the logical fallacy at the heart of her argument with: ‘Covid is contagious and pregnancy is not. Simple really’
Reacting to Plecic’s Instagram post, one fan exposed the logical fallacy at the heart of her argument with: ‘Covid is contagious and pregnancy is not. Simple really.’
Another agreed: ‘Wow… to compare those VERY DIFFERENT things is just next level. How embarrassing.’
Plecic subsequently doubled down on her controversial stance, uploading another post thanking the ‘500 people’ who’d reached out to her to express their agreement.
She also used this post to clarify that she is pro-choice when it comes to abortion.
Plecic subsequently doubled down on her controversial stance, uploading another post on Sunday to thank the ‘500 people’ who had reached out to her to express their agreement
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