Nothing Gold Can Stay
Y/Project and Saks Potts are closing. Congrats to the girlie who bought the Y/Project jeans then the Saks Potts coat from me! The Proenza boys are leaving NYC. Dries’s last collection for his brand is shipping as we speak. And then a million other creative director shake-ups, brand closures, and founder departures. The fashion world as we know it is no longer. This all sounds dramatic, but it’s just true. It might sound silly to be mourning loss and change in the industry given ~*gestures around*~ but if the fashion industry’s value ranked against country GDPs would have made it the 7th largest global economy as of 2017 (according to McKinsey). This much upheaval is actually massive global news. It’s also especially concerning to see an industry that employs so many women and queer people in such an unstable state. ~*screams into pillow*~
Sorry to be a Debbie downer here. The good news is I basically never suggest buying anything new. I’ve loved many brands that have closed, and I can still shop them to this day. Here are some of my favorites.
Sies Marjan
I talk a LOT about Sies Marjan. I worked upstairs from them at their sister company when they launched, and so I got to feel a little bit of the glow of their success. I also had access to their sample sales (the real kind). Sies took over the former atelier of Chado Ralph Rucci (another defunct NYC label), which had been one of the most couture-adjacent brands in the U.S. The atelier was gorgeous, and covered in all their custom shimmery, printed, pastel fabrics. Sies Marjan’s creative director, Sander Lak, came from Dries Van Noten, and the influence was very evident in his designs. We got color, print, texture, drape, joy. The shoes were weird, but not unlike the ones we later saw from JW at Loewe. The sales strategy for a new brand in 2016 was to launch exclusively in the U.S. with Barneys, and exclusively in the UK/online with either Matches or Net-a-Porter. Sies went with Barneys and Matches, neither of which exists anymore (we are not counting the husk of Barneys that Saks has licensed on their fifth floor). It stands to reason that Sies Marjan also couldn’t make it, and closed in 2020. I keep asking everyone where Sander went, and no one knows. When I saw him at a cafe in Chelsea last year, I chickened out on asking him.
Trademark
Trademark was founded by Chris Burch’s daughters Louisa and Pookie, who were also Tory Burch’s ex step-daughters. The brand launched in 2013 as an all-encompassing lifestyle brand with a big SoHo boutique to match. Chris obviously funded the brand given that the designers were about 24 and 28 respectively, but even though he and Tory had long since divorced, my understanding is she mentored the girls closely. Other key mentors included the Olsen twins, who were personal champions of the brand and close friends of the designers. All of this might sound name-droppy and eye-rolly, but the Trademark girls had impeccable taste and a clear perspective that translated to very strong sales. I handled their sales for about 2 years, and the growth was explosive. While I was with the brand, the production was largely in Italy and I think a lot of the fabrics were the same ones The Row used. Maybe this attention to quality was what meant they couldn’t keep up at the same pace. Maybe it was the 2 story store in SoHo. They closed their boutique and discontinued the ready to wear portion of their business in 2017, moving forward with just bags and shoes. Eventually they hired a CEO from Rebecca Minkoff and moved production to China. Then they closed the brand in 2019 for reasons I’m not privy to. Their archives have now been sold to Tory Burch, and I’ve seen many of their styles repurposed under her label. I think Pookie still works with Tory, and Louisa is now a doula.
Interior
Interior had a short run from 2021-2024. It was founded by Jack Miner and Lily Meismer, who went to high school together a couple years ahead of me and a few towns over. Together they had some good downtown NYC brand experience, and their brand felt very of-the-moment for me. It was all about luxe things that had a little bit of wear to them, maybe some frayed edges or distesssing. Much of it was quiet and wearable on the day-to-day, but they also had a splash of opulence. Really my kind of brand. From what I can tell on her Instagram, Lily met a hot young French model and married him quickly, then departed the brand and moved to Paris. I recently saw her posting on her IG stories looking for a good mushroom hookup. I’m happy for her! Jack stayed on alone at the brand, which was growing quickly. He’s been quoted saying that a brand as small as his is susceptible to even small market tremors despite strong growth. He didn’t name names, but he had a lot of product at Saks, which famously didn’t pay any of its vendors for 18+ months. I’m willing to bet that unpaid tab was the nail in the coffin. I went to one Interior sample sale in 2023 and bought tons of stuff. I never saw another one and I don’t know what they did with their stock when they closed. If anyone knows how I can get a cashmere Bruno sweater, let me know.
Lorod
Lorod launched for SS17 with some very crisp denim and workwear styles that I still see knocked off on the market today. They really led the contrast topstitch movement of the time, too. Lorod was founded by Lauren Rodriguez, now Lauren Rodriguez Hall. She’s married to Chase Hall, a very major artist. Their wedding is worth a Google for aesthetic purposes. Their taste level is…. unreal. Lorod stayed generally small and either didn’t pursue the majors business or wasn’t ever picked up. It wasn’t cheap, and the designs weren’t super obvious to the average consumer. I regretfully am no longer the size I was when I bought a bunch of stuff at their sample sale, so I no longer own any Lorod. Lauren eventually pivoted the business to an antiques curation at her studio in about 2021. Their website has 3 units left of denim products. There was never an announcement saying the brand was closing, but I see no evidence that it’s open currently. The Eckhaus Latta Goodtime Jean uses Lorod’s signature zip through design, so maybe Lauren is consulting for them. Either way, Lauren looks super happy with her family nowadays!
Escada
In a stark contrast to all the cool downtown NYC labels I just discussed, Escada was a German label that was founded in 1978 and whose backers filed bankruptcy in 2020. I believe there is some version of Escada still licensed in Spain, but we can be confident that it’s not the same. Escada was always an old lady label, but the construction is beyond incredible. They also have some crazy maximalist, feminine details that are great for styling and would cost a bajillion bucks nowadays. Vintage Escada is always a win.
Christian Lacroix
Originally funded by LVMH in 1987 as a couture house, Christian Lacroix stayed on board through various owners. In 2009, he left the company permanently. It went from the dreamiest couture house to mostly a home wares and stationary brand to then some very cheap high street stuff… now it just got acquired by the Spanish company STL that owns CH Carolina Herrera (notably only CH not the real Carolina line). Lacroix will not be returning. Vintage Galliano and Vivienne Westwood and Gaultier all go for the price of a pound of flesh, but because Lacroix’s name has been licensed to the heavens, he’s lost a good amount of brand equity. You can find amazing, iconic, couture quality Lacroix pieces all over the internet for under $500 any day.
WEEKLY RUMINATIONS:
EVENT OF THE WEEK: send every bride you know to the Studio Dorothy pop-up at Betsu in Philly. The product I’m bringing is so insanely good and there’s so much of it. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are better.
Song of the week: Love is Everywhere by Magdalena Bay.
Snack of the week: I’m in an oatmeal with tons of cinnamon and peanut butter phase.
SUSB pick of the week: this brand new Missoni gown on my closet sale for $450
