Up and Down on the Highstreet

It seems the success of fashion on the highstreet is very up and down at the moment!  One minute we’re hearing good news about Britain looking up and being the centre for new luxury brands, then we hear all the bad news about designers going down the pan.  The latest bit of bad news is that design company Nicole Fahri has gone into administration with more than 100 jobs at risk;  part of the latest wave of retail downfalls along with brands Dwell and Modelzone.

Many people assume designers are still involved in their own outlets, this is not the case with most – and Nicole Fahri is a case in point.  She has not been involved for some time now.  The label has six stores, 10 concessions in department stores and sells to stores such as John Lewis.  Although French Connection originally founded the brand in 1982, in 2010 it was sold for £5m and since then had two separate equity holders.  However, good news is that Nicole Fahri is rumoured to want to buy the label back herself!  Similarly, the Dwell chain has recently been bought out of administration by its original founder Aamir Ahmad, from which 23 stores are expected to reopen and 150 jobs saved!

So perhaps this is the answer!  Designers stepping up and taking back their original brands- I like it.  As a customer, knowing the designer drives the brand can only be positive.  Good luck Nicole and can we start with a good sale to get some of your investments back?