Critical acclaim and a celebrity following are no insurance for surviving the global recession. Just ask Luella Bartley! The Designer of the Year at the 2008 British Fashion Awards has been forced to close down her Luella label following the loss of one of its main suppliers.
Luella’s Italian production company Carla Carini shut down last month. This means that the orders for Luella’s spring/summer 2010 collection could not be completed. This inspired VSQ, the company in charge of the brand’s distribution, to withdraw its support.
The decision to close down operations is a blow for Luella’s fans, which include fashionable young Britons like Alexa Chung, Lily Allen, and Pixie Geldof. But Ms Bartley says we shouldn’t count her out just yet. She is currently exploring options to take the label forward.
She’s got the support of online fans, who are expressing their Luella love by adding a “Save Luella” banner to their Twitter avatars. I’m not sure whether anyone with clout will listen to the cyber outpouring, but only time will tell!
