Jane Mayle to Close

[MissMagAddict]

Source | WWD | Monday, August 18th

NEW YORK — The economy, the challenges of running a fashion business, debt and the inability to secure financial backing can all factor into a designer’s decision to close shop, but for Jane Mayle, an out-of-control fashion system was the ultimate trigger behind calling it quits on her business after 10 years.

The Mayle holiday-resort collection that ships to stores this November will be her last and the boutique she operates at 242 Elizabeth Street here is slated to close in February. The expiration of her store’s lease then caused Mayle to take a step back and reevaluate her options.

“We knew we didn’t want to reinvest in...

 

[adorefaith]

an out of control fashion system...what does that mean?...thanks for the article mma...i like mayle's stuff but for some reason i always felt it was a bit overpriced foe what it was... i guess even that didn't help it survive..

 

[masquerade]

Is the label closing, or just her own store.

Either way, thats sad

 

[Fabulyss]

I could never afford her pieces but I always loved her style

 

[MissMagAddict]

Is the label closing, or just her own store.

Either way, thats sad

The article says... Holiday Resort Collection will be her last.

 

[unipine]

that's too bad. I don't own anything of hers, but from what I've seen the dresses she makes are all very cute and girly.

 

[masquerade]

The article says... Holiday Resort Collection will be her last.

oic

reading comprehension is my friend

 

[Hebden]

This is depressing...I love her handbags.

 

[Aby]

What a shocking and sad news.

After Jovovich-Hawk now Mayle closing too...

I thought this label was more rooted financially with all the good press it has and all the celebs wearing her clothes and accessories.

 

[stealthmodesteph]

This is quite surprising!! I didn't see this coming...

 

[Meg]

I was surprised to read this but it wasn't unexpected. I think Mayle went on to elaborate that it wasn't for financial reasons that she is closing but that she felt like "another cog in the fashion machine" or some schtick like that and that with the increasing number of collections she didn't feel like it had any personality or anything anymore? I have no idea but it sounds like utter BS. If she only wanted to produce 2 or 4 collections a year, she certainly could have scaled back or if she was really increasing her sales, hired another designer. I find it hard to believe that her sales were doing so well, considering the recession and the pricepoint of her clothes, which were overpriced. I guess it just proves that giving freebies and selling to celebs doesn't always push clothes. I thought her stuff was cute to begin with, but really, like a lot of other lines out there, wasn't worth what she was selling it for. Maybe she's doing better financially than what I predict, but there's way more to this story I think than the "out of control fashion system"

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Her things were just carbon copies of pieces
that could be found a thrift shop for $10, rly...
I never understood the hype behind it...
That's terrible about her business though...

 

[kimair]

full article from wwd...

NEW YORK — The economy, the challenges of running a fashion business, debt and the inability to secure financial backing can all factor into a designer’s decision to close shop, but for Jane Mayle, an out-of-control fashion system was the ultimate trigger behind calling it quits on her business after 10 years.

The Mayle holiday-resort collection that ships to stores this November will be her last and the boutique she operates at 242 Elizabeth Street here is slated to close in February. The expiration of her store’s lease then caused Mayle to take a step back and reevaluate her options.

“We knew we didn’t want to reinvest in the neighborhood,” Mayle said. “It prompted me to think hard about where I was in business and where I wanted to go. The industry has changed so much, and the little niche we entered when I started the brand, and the demands in this niche have changed, so I asked myself, ‘Do I want to keep participating?’”

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Mayle took a less traditional route, opting to forgo the usual runway showings to rely on more of a word-of-mouth approach and focus on her retail operation. She launched her business with the 400-square-foot boutique called Phare in 1998, but renamed it Mayle and started wholesaling her line a year later. The designer quickly earned a following with downtown types who embraced her “magpie aesthetic” that had the feel of old-world romance.

Today, Mayle said her business is healthier than ever, raking in annual sales of $5 million with 65 wholesale accounts worldwide, including Barneys New York, Opening Ceremony, Louis Boston and Harvey Nichols.

Yet she was turned off by the ever-accelerating fashion system, its out-of-whack delivery cycle and the pressures to cave into the importance placed on media hype that can sometimes be counterproductive.

“It seems like a commercial cul-de-sac in a way that the customer gets tired before the collections even hit stores,” Mayle said. “How I came to this business was all about dreaming and building a wardrobe you would be seduced by. That mystery and remoteness and insouciance have disappeared from fashion in order to accelerate the product. I feel I have just become another cog in that machinery.”

The demands, she added, affected her ability to get her hands on the quality fabrics she sought, for instance.

“It’s become so overaccelerated that I felt the only way to make things meaningful is to stop doing them,” she said.

Mayle wouldn’t disclose details of her next move, but said she is not necessarily turning her back on fashion.

“What I learned from having this business, I could apply anywhere,” she said. “It could be interiors, graphics, scents — anything evoking an atmosphere. That’s where I’d like to situate myself.”

 

[MissMagAddict]

Thank you so much for posting kimair

 

[adorefaith]

just from reading that small article i have to say i respect where she's coming from...seems as though she has more respect for fashion than to keep going just trying to push product for the sake of it without the meaning or integrity that she feels she wants to maintain....and good on her... i wish her the best.

 

[classicalbang]

i was disappointed to hear about this. while her designs aren't my style, i have always appreciated her aesthetic quality.

 

[eeyore]

that's sad, but i respect her reasons. her aesthetic is great, but the quality has been declining and the prices only skyrocketing...as seems to be for every designer...

 

[leyla m.]

sad to hear the confrimation but i saw this coming.... the production was all over the place and the prices had skyrocketed for her last 2 seasons ..
it is a shame but i see where she is coming from. today it is not only about making clothes anymore, there are a lot more things to it for it to work and be enjoyable..
i hope she does continue in fashion. i remember her being in the talks for Chloe not long time ago so maybe she has something else under her sleeve?

 

[Deleted member 7575]

didn't care for it anyway

 

[lucy92]

seems like she's throwing in the towel too early. i think she should have either sold the company or hired a business agent to get her a deal with another retailer.