From a commercial point of view I think she went about it backwards.
People want aspiration and positivity. H&M had that ‘image’ when they left the RF. If she had harnessed that moment and went on to commercialise high fashion and makeup at that point she would have been pushing on an open door.
Instead they spent years creating documentaries, books, giving interviews, falling out with family, friends, colleagues etc and discharged their bitter, brittle, vexatious and unhinged obsessions around a victim narrative. Not attractive. Not sexy.
This backfired and exposed their grifting, bullying, delusional and grandiose characteristics - so they did not build on the ‘positive and aspirational’ image they arguably had to that date - and one which commercial collaborators and consumers are attracted to. In fact, they eroded it and destroyed their own brand potential spectacularly.
Since their ‘big reveal’ their subsequent attempts at rebranding via more wholesome endeavours (WLM, As Ever, etc) are now ironically just fuel to a fire where other people (not H&M), ie both MSM and online content creators have been able to generate $$$$ as there is clearly a substantial revenue stream that has sprung up on all things H&M ‘laughing stock’. Including I imagine cash being made also by their diminishing SS fan base who also get the clicks.
It is a fascinating case study of a unique arc of fame, greed, PR, court cases, subterfuge, etc played out on the world stage daily.
They really have destroyed their own brand. I am waiting for MMs book or Spare2 - to be titled ‘Squandered’