What Does It Mean When Luxe Brands Close Their Doors?

Photo: WENN 

We need to talk!

Today Belgian designer Kris Van Assche — he is the creative head of Dior Homme while fellow Belgian Raf Simons is the head of Dior and Christian Dior Haute Couture — has announced the closure of his label.

While by itself, the announcement isn’t cause for concern, this coupled with this week’s announcements that Honor would be shuttering it’s ready-to-wear business in favor of bridal and Band of Outsiders might be shuttering, the additional brand has us slightly afraid of the trend. And it’s not just this week! Kate Spade Saturday closed earlier this year, being restructured inside of the main Kate Spade line, and the Marc by Marc Jacobs brand is suffering the same fate. Even over at Victoria Beckham, the denim line has been rolled into the Victoria Victoria Beckham line to become a more fully realized brand.

It’s a little startling.

Sure, some of the closures, like the last three, we can sort of understand as in all of those cases, the product assortments will live on in new brands. But in the case of Honor, ready-to-wear is kaput! If rumors are true about Band of Outsiders, everything there is dunzo! And with Assche, according to an email to customers, the next runway showing has been cancelled and this Fall’s orders will not be shipped! It’s serious.

One could speculate that this is a swing of the pendulum; that more independent brands will close as some of them should have never started and the designers should have instead focused on working in established brands like Assche with Dior. That argument is not without weight. Has there really ever been such a pervasive trend of designers starting their businesses right out of college to be the next Proenza Schouler? Of creative directors with little to no names under their belts before striking out? Has there ever been this much product out there?

Maybe this is a separation of the wheat from the chaff, a break out of the companies who have a finger on what works and what doesn’t.

We just hope it doesn’t keep phasing out some of our favorites!

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