A month ago, Australian designer Collette Dinnigan delivered a decadent collection for her 18th season showing at Paris Fashion Week. But if you’re hoping to buy anything from Spring 2014, better make it snappy: Dinnigan has announced she’s ceasing production of her eponymous evening and bridal lines by the end of 2013, and closing her boutiques in Sydney, Melbourne and London soon after New Year’s.
It’s not all over for Dinnigan or fans of her playful, ladylike luxe. The designer will continue with her diffusion and children’s lines, Collette by Collette Dinnigan and Collette Dinnigan Enfant. But in an industry that’s seen local heavyweights, including Lisa Ho and Kirrily Johnson, shutting up shop, it’s difficult not to label Dinnigan another victim of a fickle industry.
The decision was announced at the launch of the designer’s new coffee table book, Obsessive Creative. “The book is a retrospective of my life and it’s made me stop and think about the amazing journey I have had thus far,” said Dinnigan. “It [crystalized] my thinking, that I have sacrificed a lot of family time in building and maintaining my business, now I want balance back in my life with my husband, nine-year-old daughter and baby boy. I have met and worked with some of the world’s most talented people, as well as realizing my own creativity while driving a financially viable, profitable business.”
She followed it up with a handwritten letter on Instagram thanking her followers for their 24 years of support.
But WWD has pointed out that a different reason was given in an interview with the Australian Financial Review, where the designer cited a lack of resources as a contributing factor. A spokesperson has noted in response that the Collette Dinnigan brand is totally debt-free.
We’ll miss seeing Dinnigan’s breezy romanticism on the runways, but we’ve still got one Australian designer holding down the Paris Fashion Week fort. Ellery showed her debut collection there as Dinnigan presented her last.
