Sunday November 15, 2009
End of the road
LUELLA Bartley, the young British designer whose quirky yet feminine designs have adorned model Kate Moss and singer Lily Allen, has become the latest fashion casualty of the recession.
Bartley’s label, Luella, ceased trading after its ready-to-wear producer closed last month and its main financial backer pulled the plug on any further investment, the company said in a statement issued this week.
Supermodel Kate Moss shows off a Luella outfit. Luella Bartley Ltd said its key producer in Italy, Carla Carini, unexpectedly closed last month, leaving the brand unable to fulfil its Spring/Summer 2010 orders.
VSQ Ltd, which also distributes for Armani, advised Luella that it had decided not to invest further in the label, the statement said.
Bartley won Designer of the Year at last year’s British Fashion Awards and her Luella-branded designs are popular with a number of celebrities.
“This is a very disappointing situation for everyone involved with the brand,” Bartley said.
The former British journalist has attracted continued adulation from the fashion press and her celebrity fans.
“We have a number of options open to us and are considering these over the coming months,” Bartley said.
Known for its idiosyncratic and humorous mix of punk details and party dresses, Luella is the label of choice for the streetwise British girl-about-town. The designer once described her look as “the kind of clothes you can get drunk and fall over in“.
Luella handbags, hair accessories and leather goods all sold well. Bartley launched Luella in 1999 and opened her flagship store on Mayfair’s Brook Street in 2007. – Reuters
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