Willow fashion stores to close

Australian fashion label Willow will be wound-up at the end of September, after owner Apparel Group was unable to find a buyer for the brand.

The Willow online store closed on Monday.

According to a notice on the brand’s website, its four stores in Melbourne and Sydney will close their doors in late September.

Willow was founded by Kit Willow Podgornik, who continued to work for the label as creative director until 2013.

Apparel Group (APG & Co) acquired the brand in 2011 and fashion label sat alongside sister brands JAG, Sportscraft and Saba.

The Smartcompany website said the closure of Willow comes in a tough year for some Australian retailers of women’s clothing as fast fashion wreaks havoc.

The Australian operations of UK brand Laura Ashley entered voluntary administration in January and 20 of the chain’s 38 stores were closed before a buyer was found for the remaining 18 outlets.

Women’s clothing retailer Meredith & Moore entered voluntary administration in March and closed a month later.

The fashion chain Seduce closed its nine Australian stores, after voluntary administrators and liquidators were appointed to the business in August.

According to Brian Walker, chief executive of the Retail Doctor Group, Australian retailers, particularly those that specialise in fashion, are operating in an “increasingly competitive and challenging environment”.