Zoe Sugg

Zoë Sugg
Born	Zoë Elizabeth Sugg (1990-03-28) March 28, 1990 Lacock, Wiltshire, England
Occupation(s)	Media personality, businesswoman, writer, YouTuber
Years active	2009–present
Known for	YouTube channel Zoella, Girl Online novel series, Zoella Beauty brand

Zoë Elizabeth Sugg (born 28 March 1990), widely recognized by her online alias Zoella, is a British media figure, businesswoman, and writer. She began her journey as a YouTuber in 2009, rapidly growing a subscriber count surpassing 10 million.

Her first novel, Girl Online, launched in November 2014, achieved the highest first-week sales ever recorded by a debut author. She subsequently published two follow-up novels, a non-fiction title named Cordially Invited, and co-wrote the duology The Magpie Society with Amy McCulloch.

Early life

Born in Lacock, Wiltshire on 28 March 1990, Zoë Elizabeth Sugg has a younger sibling, Joe Sugg, who is also a YouTube creator. She attended The Corsham School in nearby Corsham, where she completed A-levels in art, photography, and textiles. Due to anxiety and uncertainty about her future career, she chose not to pursue university education.

2009–2013: Early career development

Sugg's professional path began with an apprenticeship at an interior design firm when she launched her blog "Zoella" in February 2009. By the end of that year, the blog had amassed around 1,000 followers and had accumulated over 540 million visits by 2015. During 2009, she transitioned the blog into a YouTube channel while employed by British retailer New Look. Her primary channel, Zoella—initially named "zoella280390"—features content related to fashion, beauty hauls, and monthly product favourites. Her secondary channel, MoreZoella, showcases vlogs documenting her everyday life.

Affiliated with the Style Haul network and represented by Dominic Smales of Gleam Futures, Sugg was recognized in 2013 by The Daily Telegraph as one of "Britain's most influential Tweeters." That same year, she became an ambassador for the National Citizen Service, supporting youth programs. In 2014, she was appointed Mind’s inaugural "digital ambassador," using her platform to raise awareness about mental health issues such as anxiety and panic attacks.

2014–2019: Brand expansion, literary works, and media engagements

In September 2014, Sugg introduced a beauty range under the Zoella Beauty brand. The "bath and beauty" collection was hailed by the Metro as the year's "biggest beauty launch." The products were developed and produced by Gloucestershire-based family firm SLG Allstars Ltd. Subsequent collections included "Tutti Fruity" (2015), a Christmas-themed edition, and "Sweet Inspirations" (2016), followed by lines such as "Jelly & Gelato," "Splash Botanics," and "Fruit Medley." Since 2016, Sugg has served as director of ZS Beauty Ltd, which wholesales perfumes and cosmetics.

Expanding into homeware in September 2016, she launched ZS Lifestyle Ltd—where she also holds a directorship—offering stationery, candles, and reed diffusers.

Sugg made appearances on British television programs like Loose Women (2014) and This Morning (2014), discussing social anxiety topics. In 2014, she secured a two-book contract with Penguin Books; North American publishing rights were acquired by Atria. Her debut novel Girl Online, released on 25 November 2014, targets young adult readers and follows a 15-year-old blogger whose life transforms after her blog gains viral attention. The book set a record for highest first-week sales for a debut author since 1998 with 78,109 copies sold. Penguin confirmed that Sugg collaborated with an editorial team; reports indicated that young-adult author Siobhan Curham contributed as an editorial consultant.

In the same year, Sugg appeared alongside The Slow Mo Guys and Vice News in UK YouTube promotional adverts aired on major terrestrial channels. She also took part in the Band Aid 30 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which topped the UK Official Singles Chart. In 2015, she featured on the Comic Relief special of The Great British Bake Off.

Following her initial success, sequels titled Girl Online: On Tour (October 2015) and Girl Online: Going Solo (November 2016) were published. However, in 2017 her books faced criticism from UK media for their perceived lack of literary depth.

Toward the end of 2016, Sugg partnered with her brother Joe to launch 'Sugg Life,' a merchandise brand developed with The Creator Store—owned by Alfie Deyes and Dominic Smales of Gleam Futures. The product range included hoodies, stickers, and phone cases. A limited-edition collaboration 'Sugg Life X PB' was sold through a pop-up shop located in Covent Garden during August 2017. The online store ceased operations by May 2018.

In 2018, Sugg and Deyes co-founded Brighton-based brand agencies A to Z Creatives and A to Z Merchandise. They also serve as directors of Crew Live Limited, which organizes the Hello World YouTube convention alongside other notable YouTubers and Gleam Futures CEO Dominic Smales.

Her non-fiction work Cordially Invited, which provides guidance on hosting events and home entertaining, was published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 2018.

2019–present: Entrepreneurial ventures and The Magpie Society

In February 2019, Sugg introduced a limited-edition makeup collection in partnership with ColourPop Cosmetics, drawing inspiration from 1970s style.<ref> By April 2019, she had co-created Filmm, a mobile app focused on photography, alongside Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman.<ref> In August 2020, Sugg teamed up with Etsy to launch a homeware line that included items personally selected by her as well as by independent artisans.<ref>

The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow, a young adult novel co-written with Amy McCulloch, was published on 29 October 2020.<ref> The narrative unfolds at a prestigious boarding school and is told through two viewpoints—Sugg authored the chapters from Ivy’s perspective, while McCulloch penned Audrey’s.<ref name="Magpie"> This book was announced as the opening installment in a series, followed by the sequel The Magpie Society: Two for Joy in 2021.<ref><ref>

Personal life

Since October 2012, Sugg has been in a relationship with fellow vlogger Alfie Deyes. Their relationship became public knowledge following a blog post by Sugg in August 2013. The couple became engaged in September 2023. They welcomed their first daughter in August 2021 and their second daughter in December 2023. The family currently resides in Brighton.

In November 2017, Sugg attracted criticism over a £50 advent calendar containing twelve doors, with complaints focusing on its steep price and perceived lack of value. The contents included items such as a small packet of confetti, stickers, and cookie cutters. A representative clarified that pricing and marketing decisions were made by third parties rather than Sugg herself.

Also during November 2017, Sugg issued an apology following backlash regarding social media posts from 2009 to 2012 that were seen as mocking gay individuals and "fat chavs". She explained that these posts had been "taken out of context" and expressed remorse if anyone had been hurt by them.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	Girl in Potion Class
2002	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	Slytherin Student
2015	The Great Comic Relief Bake Off	Contestant

Bibliography

• Girl Online (2014)
• Girl Online: On Tour (2015)
• Girl Online: Going Solo (2016)
• Cordially Invited (2018)
• The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow (2020)
• The Magpie Society: Two for Joy (2021)

Awards and nominations

Sugg was awarded the 2011 Cosmopolitan Blog Award for "Best Established Beauty Blog" and secured the "Best Beauty Vlogger" title in 2012. She won "Best British Vlogger" at the Radio 1 Teen Awards consecutively in 2013 and 2014, received the 2014 Kids' Choice Award for "UK Favourite Vlogger," and earned the "Choice Web Star: Fashion/Beauty" award at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards.

Major media outlets recognized her achievements; she was listed among The Telegraph's "40 best beauty bloggers" in 2014 and was referred to as the "Queen of the Haul" by British Vogue. That same year, her YouTube channel ranked as the fourth most viewed in the UK. In 2015, she was included in the Debrett's 500 listing of Britain's most influential figures within New Media and honored by Grazia as one of the "Most Inspirational Women of the Decade" in technology. Additionally, she placed thirty-fourth on FHM's 100 Sexiest Women.

At the 2015 Teen Choice Awards, Sugg won again for "Choice Web Star." In 2019, she and her brother received a nomination for Social Media Superstar at the Global Awards.

Year	Award	Category	Result
2011	Cosmopolitan Blog Award	Best Established Beauty Blog	Template:Won
2012		Best Beauty Vlogger	Template:Won
2014	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award	UK Favourite Vlogger	Template:Won
	Teen Choice Award	Choice Webstar: Fashion/Beauty	Template:Won
	Radio 1 Teen Award	Best British Vlogger	Template:Won
2015	Teen Choice Award	Choice Webstar: Fashion/Beauty	Template:Won
2016	Shorty Awards	YouTuber of the Year	Template:Nom
2018	Teen Choice Award	Choice Webstar: Fashion/Beauty	Template:Nom
2019	Global Awards	Social Media Superstar	Template:Nom