A dress brand owned by musician Nick Cave’s wife and worn by the Princess of Wales and Hollywood stars is closing after an “upheaval in the wholesale market”.
The Vampire’s Wife, created by the former model Susie Cave, will hold a final physical sale at the end of the week after ceasing trading with immediate effect on Tuesday.
The news was broken by the 80s “It girl” on social media, who said it was with “great sadness” that it is “time for me to say goodbye” to her creation after 10 years.
A statement released by the company said: “Despite a period of positive growth and sales, the upheaval in the wholesale market has had dramatic implications for the brand.
“The Vampire’s Wife, therefore, announces that it has sadly made the decision to cease trading with immediate effect.”
The Princess of Wales famously posed in a green dress by the clothing brand for her first official portrait with Prince William in 2022, commissioned at the time of their 10th wedding anniversary.
The painting of the Princess wearing the vivid dress, by artist Jamie Coreth, was loaned to the National Portrait Gallery, her patronage, for the gallery’s reopening last year.
She previously wore the striking dress during a visit to Dublin and has also worn a pink floor-length design by Mrs Cave for a reception in Belize.
Prince of Darkness
The Vampire’s Wife, fittingly created by the wife of the self-styled “Prince of Darkness” musician, has been a go-to brand for weddings, Christmas parties and royal tours alike.
Among its famous clientele it also counts Princess Beatrice, Sienna Miller, Zooey Deschanel, Cate Blanchett and Alexa Chung.
The English actress Charlotte Riley, who is married to Tom Hardy, opted to wear a Vampire’s Wife dress at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in 2018.
In a statement about the closure released on Tuesday, all clients, partners and those who have worn the brand in the last decade received “heartfelt thanks” from the brand.
The Vampire’s Wife worked on collaborations with high street stores such as H&M
“Your support has been invaluable, and we are deeply grateful,” it continued.
There will be a final physical sale of items held from May 24 to 26 in the Music Room in Mayfair, London.
It was described as “one last opportunity” for fans to buy the brand’s clothing.
The news comes over a year after the brand revealed it was facing liquidation over an unpaid tax bill.
The clothing company’s debt was understood to have grown during the Covid pandemic and it had been handed a “winding-up petition” from HMRC to close the firm for failing to settle its outstanding debts.
However, in July last year the womenswear label said that it had settled the debt with the tax office through fresh financing from existing investors.